How to Escape Your School in Fourteen Days
by AZLCIKOI
Summary: Eight different students from eight different cliques are trapped together inside their school for FOURTEEN DAYS. Ichigo-badboy, Orihime-socialoutcast, Rukia-queenbeetch, Renji-footballcaptain, Uryu-ubernerd, Nemu-plainjane, Grimm-newguy, Nel-cheerhime
1. Prologue

The holy hour of freedom had begun. Lunch time! All the students clamoured out of their classrooms quickly to gossip any new information they had just learned. However, Inspector Yoruichi wasn't so pleased.

"Kisuke, do you not see anything wrong with this picture?"

"Why? It looks exactly like a canvas of artistic ingenuity." He replied while appreciatively eyeing a cheerleader walking by.

"Well…this canvas of _ingenuity_ needs to change or you will not get the funding for the library renovation. Honestly! This school is organized neater than my shoe closet and that's saying something! What happened to that something called school spirit?"

"Well, I do see your point but what can I do? Students just like to mingle with someone else who matches their area of interest."

"Repromote school spirit. Isn't that the principal's job? I'll give you two weeks and I want to start seeing these different cliques opening up their horizons." Yoruichi glared at Urahara who was still eyeing the blonde cheerleader. When he caught her piercing gaze, he stammered out

"Okay…leave it to me."

* * *

Somewhere in the parking lot, a tall guy dressed in a tight leather jacket stepped of his Harley-Davidson. He took off his helmet to reveal his bright tangerine locks of hair. Karakura's resident bad boy had arrived. With his chiselled and edgy features, he was one of the handsomest guys at Karakura High, but it was that dangerous glint in his sepia-toned orbs that made all the girls go wild. As he made his way down the hallway, he bumped into a petite figure.

"Watch where you're going."

"S…sorry." She stuttered back. The girl's gray eyes were puffy and red. The guy couldn't help feeling sorry for snapping at her. He couldn't help acknowledging that she kinda looked cute. However, he ignored her and continued his way down the hall. But then, he heard a voice.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, please report to the principal's office at the end of the school day." The boy was about to ignore it but the voice went on. "…Unless you want another year's supply of detention, it will be in your best interest to be here this instant." He let out a groan.

Meet Ichigo Kurosaki, Karakura High's resident bad boy.

* * *

A young girl quickly locked herself inside a bathroom stall. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't believe that she had just managed to escape without a single scratch after bumping into the infamous Kurosaki. She stifled a smile. Despite the horrid rumours about him beating up a policeman, she couldn't help thinking that his patented scowl was cute. When she heard the bathroom door open, her breathing hitched. She had just remembered why she was hiding inside a bathroom stall instead of happily munching away on her red bean paste, pickle dip covered salmon roe, egg sandwich. Ever since she entered high school, she became the laughingstock of the popular kids. However, she heard a voice on the announcement.

"Orihime Inoue, please report to the principal's office at the end of the school day." The auburn haired girl was about to groan. Now a certain black haired midget was going to find her for sure. "Anyone who tries to stop her will be sorry." She finally smiled.

Meet Orihime Inoue, Karakura High's social outcast.

* * *

Violet eyes were scanning icily through the hallways. She pushed people out of her way. Despite her petite stature, she was feared by the student body, as she was the school's queen bee-tch. Her favourite activity was tormenting anyone who was deemed weaker than her and at the moment, Orihime was her new victim. Ever since she heard a new rumour about Ichigo showing interest in that pitiful creature, she began to hate Orihime with a passion.

"Rukia Kuchiki, please report to the principal's office at the end of the school day." Rukia scoffed. "Kurosaki will also be here." The announcement continued. Rukia couldn't help grinning.

Meet Rukia Kuchiki, Karakura High's queen bee-tch.

* * *

Nothing meant more to this red-head than winning the football championship under his lead. Sweat which collected near his brow lines from football practice trickled down. After quenching his throat, he looked around for Rukia. Everyone knew he had a major crush on her. Aside from football, Rukia was the only other thing he showed immense passion. Before he could resume his exercise drill, he heard a voice coming from the announcement.

"Renji Abarai, please report to the principal's office at the end of the school day." Renji wondered if it was about the football scholarship. The voice went on. "And no, Renji. It is not about the scholarship." Renji shook his head in disbelief.

Meet Renji Abarai, Karakura High's football captain

* * *

Pushing up his spectacle, he hunched over a new quantum problem. Nothing excited him more than figuring out the solution to a nearly impossible problem or outwitting the teacher. He devoured all problems thrown in his face and poured over books beyond university level. He was Karakura's academics pride. He was the face of their school's Math-athon. However, he was the butt of every nerd joke that ever existed. He looked around to see if Kurosaki was anywhere within his radar to taunt him. No Kurosaki.

"Uryu Ishida, please report to the principal's office at the end of the school day." The bespectacled boy pushed up his glasses one more time.

Meet Uryu Ishida, Karakura High's uber nerd.

* * *

She always wanted to be part of the in crowd. She always tried to follow the latest trend. She always looked up to Rukia. The only problem was she was so plain. Despite, Rukia treating her no better than the fleas nestled in cat fur, she followed her around like a shadow. She admired Rukia in every way. Rukia was pretty, talented and worshipped. She was the juxtaposition of plainness. She went into the washroom to look for Orihime. She couldn't help feeling sorry for Orihime. She did seem like a nice girl and Nemu kind of liked her but if Rukia wanted her to pummel her that was exactly what she was going to do.

"Nemu Kurotsuchi, please report to the office at the end of the school day. Rukia will also be here." The girl's eyes lighted up in delight.

Meet Nemu Kurotsuchi, Karakura High's official plain jane.

* * *

He might be the new guy but he wasn't someone to mess around with. He made sure everyone knew that. With his teal hair and stand-offish stance, he looked intimidating. He didn't have any friends and he preferred it that way. He liked being independent. He wolf whistled at a green haired girl nearby. Her skirt was revealing her long sinewy legs. The girl winked at him. He grinned as he walked off.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjacques, please report to the office at the end of the school day." Grimmjow rolled his eyes. It was probably about a new school orientation that he didn't want to be bothered about.

Meet Grimmjow Jeagerjacques, Karakura High's new guy.

* * *

She was chattering with her other cheer peers. She was childish and silly but she was also a well-rounded and good natured person. With her delicious plump pout, long limy locks and bronzy skin, she was the object of affection to every hormone filled male specimen. So when a new face wolf-whistled at her, being used to the attention, she winked at him. When he walked off, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. That boy looked HOT.

"Neliel Tu Odverschvank, please report to the office at the end of the school day." Neliel sighed.

Meet Neliel Tu Odverschvank, Karakura High's cheer princess.

* * *

Eight students circled around Urahara's office. However, the principal was nowhere in sight. They heard the bell ringing signalling the end of the school day.

"This is stupid. I'm gone." Ichigo walked towards the door. When he twisted the knob, to his surprise, it was locked. "What the fuck?" He kicked the door. A voice came from the announcement.

"Don't bother, Kurosaki. That door will not open until all the other students have gone home."

"But Principal Urahara, today's the last day of school before the winter holidays. I need to go home too." Orihime shyly murmured.

"Well, Orihime...this will be your new home for the next fourteen days. All eight of you will be living here together." The voice replied.

"Why the fuck are we doing that?" Rukia snapped.

"To enjoy the company of other different individuals from yourself."

"Are you fucking kidding me? I can't stand anyone in here, especially that stupid airhead." Rukia pointed at Orihime.

"Well, I rather resign from the Math-athon than be in the same room as Kurosaki." Uryu pushed his glasses up.

"Shut up Ishida if you don't want your precious snooty face punched beyond recognition." Ichigo sneered.

"You the new guy? Interested in joining the football team?" Renji asked Grimmjow, ignoring the commotion between the other two guys.

"Nah. Not interested in that stuff but I like soccer." The two hunks immediately engaged themselves in a conversation about soccer.

In another corner, Neliel started talking to Orihime.

"I love your hairpins! Where did you get them?" Neliel squealed.

"My brother gave them to me before he passed away." Orihime replied shyly. Her stomach which was bolder than her, decided to use that time message a distress signal.

"I'm really hungry too." Neliel grinned sheepishly. "I'm so craving for a red bean paste, pickle dip salmon roe covered egg sandwich." She sighed, thinking about her favourite delicacy.

"You know what? When Principal Urahara opens that door, I can share my red bean paste, pickle dip salmon roe covered egg sandwich with you!" Orihime happily expressed. It was exactly that moment when Neliel and Orihime formed an impenetrable friendship over a red bean paste, pickle dip salmon roe covered egg sandwich.

In the meanwhile, Nemu was trying her best to impress Rukia.

"Rukia, I really like your shoes. Where did you get them?"

"Of course you like them. These are limited edition shoes from Versace. Something you can never come close to seeing in real life, if it weren't for me." Rukia sneered.

"Limited edition? It must cost thousands of dollars."

"Can't you go bother someone else? I really don't want to talk to you. Go hang with that dumb airhead or something." That was when they all heard the door make a 'click' sound. Renji quickly went over and tried the door. It opened.

"Finally." Everyone said. They all dashed out to the front entrance. For some odd reason, when they discovered that it was locked, it didn't even dazzle them.

"I think Urahara meant it when he said, we are going to live here for two weeks."

"Yeah, well I want out, Neliel." Rukia stomped her feet.

"How about we spread out and try to find a way to escape?" Orihime added in.

"Someone besides me still has a functioning brain." Uryu nodded towards Orihime.

"Well, yours won't be functioning anymore, if you don't shut your trap." Rukia kicked him in the knee.

"Fine. Let's take a look around. We'll meet back here in a hour." Ichigo turned his back and walked away. Everyone followed suit.

* * *

I want to thank everyone who reviewed "A Manhattan Tragedy" Reviews like those really do boost a neubie writer's morale. They were encouraging and definitely helpful at the same time!

I also want to thank Blitch for her constant feedbacks! Like what she said, "**THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ICHIHIME LOVING". ** Let's spread the Ichihime Love, people!


	2. Day One: Care to swim with me?

**_OOOOOO...I was really surprised when I got such positive reviews! Honestly I thought I was going to get burned alive with fiery flames for making Rukia seem like a complete BITCH but I have yet to see them (Of course, I'm NOT complaining). Ya, I mean I was never a Rukia hater (see the key word? WAS?) but times have changed. With all the Ichihime bashing, I just couldn't bring myself to like Rukia's character anymore. Come on everyone, let's all spread the Ichihime love. There's just too much hating._**

**_Blitch: Yes...Rukia is a bitch a la extreme. Originally, I was going to make her character play a queen bee but I ruled against myself and made her into a queen bee-TCH aka BITCH instead. LOL I'll keep it coming!=)))_**

**_Marvolo-san: I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Rukia needs to be taught a lesson (of course in this fic). Thanks for your review!_**

**_Fosterb: I was going to explain that more thorougly in the later chapters but since you pointed it out, let me clarify it for you. Ichigo didn't really know who Orihime was but he wasn't really oblivious to her existence. He did NOTICE her around which started a rumour saying that Ichigo was showing some interest in Orihime hence, causing RUkia to turn into a bitchextraordinare. Good eyes!_**

**_Rairraku Hana: Honestly, I swear on my favourite Hello Kitty pair of socks, I never thought about the Breakfast Club until I read your review. Now that you mentioned it, it does seem like Bleach meets Breakfast Club! Totally. Lol...Urahara as the principal definitely creeps me out too but it was either him or Aizen. I thought Urahara had more personality...Heeheehee._**

**_MasqueradeBlack: Glad you like it! Thanks! =))))_**

**_nypsy: I'll try to update as soon as I can but I can't make any promises...Thanks for your review!_**

**_Ayame0217: I just have to say this! 2 and 7 are my favourite numbers! *squeals* Sorry...I'm just hopeless. I'll try to keep this story rolling but I can't guarantee fast updates but I'll try my hardest!_**

**_Lustful Moon: I have a confession to make. Quick updates are definitely not in book of fortes but I'll try. There's going to be thirteen more chapters after this one and maybe an epilogue so yah..._**

**_bleachfanichihime: Awwwwww...you're so sweet. I'm glad you like my story but please don't cry! I'll try really hard to update as much as I can. And no...I haven't read the latest bleach chapter. Hehehe...I haven't really read any of the bleach manga...*blushes* I usually skim through everything until I see MAJOR ICHIHIME moments. Thanks for your review and Happy BElated Halloween to you too! BTW, your name rocks! I'm a ichihime bleach fan too._**

**_Lydia: Renruki's another final pairing besides IchiHime. Honestly I have no problem with Rukia as long as she stays out of Ichihime...However, Renruki will a rocky pairing. There will be lots of turmoils and distractions but it will happen, so doncha worry._**

**_Turtle-chan666: I honestly don't understand the hype about IchiRuki! It's almost as if people just hate Orihime for the mere reason that she stands in the way of that imagination. I was fine with IchiRuki before because I respect other peoples' opinion but when they start attacking mine...that's when chaos begins! Gosh...I'm babbling, ain't I? Well...tht's just my two cents worth._**

**_Now on with the story._**

**_Day One_**

Orihime checked high and low but there wasn't the teensiest crack to escape through. It wasn't long until she found herself in the school's swimming pool. Orihime looked around the spacious pool. She was instantly mesmerized by the scene. The pool's surface illuminated a variety of pretty colours and gave her a soothing feel. It has been awhile since Orihime enjoyed herself in open space like this. Especially after spending lunch hours inside a cramped bathroom stall, she felt alive. Losing herself in a dreamy trance, Orihime just gazed happily at her reflection. She stared into her stormy grey eyes, pale oval face, long sunburned hair-which she hasn't brushed today.

"It's Inoi, right?" Orihime jolted. She turned quickly around only to come face to face, well chest (which was very defined looking and muscular looking through the skin tight black shirt). Orihime raised her gaze away from the chest with difficulty. Stormy grey met wooden brown. Light sun-kissed locks swept across his forehead and his dark lashes encased his intense regard. He was beautiful and dangerous looking at the same time.

"I…it's In…ou…Inoue. Or…orihime In…ou…e." Orihime nervously stuttered out. 'He knew her name...well close enough.' She thought. Ichigo slightly leaned downwards. It made Orihime aware that if she tilted her head upwards and stood on her tippie toes, her lips could easily graze the others'. Ichigo smirked when the exact same thing crossed his mind.

"Having naughty thoughts, aren't we…what did you say your name was again, Inoue, wasn't it?"

"Y…yes…NO! I meant ye…yes, my n…name i…is In…noue but n…no." Orihime took a deep breath. "…I wasn't thinking what I think you were thinking." Orihime's face tensed in mortification.

"Oh really?" Ichigo leaned his face closer to intimidate the flustered girl some more. He loved playing around deviously with the mind of such a baffled creature. "Then tell me, what I was thinking that you think I was thinking." Ichigo mentally congratulated himself for speaking without a slip.

"I…I was th…think…ing…uh…you…uh…um...what?" When Ichigo's scowl transformed into a slight grin. At that moment, Orihime couldn't help herself from associating his face with that of a Golden Labrador. She unconsciously envisioned Ichigo with a Golden Labrador's head. She lost herself in a daydream. "I think you look adorable. Like a Golden Labrador puppy dog." Orihime said thoughtlessly and dreamily. Ichigo's grin transformed back into a scowl.

"A pup…py dog? You think I look like Golden Labrador…puppy dog?" Ichigo spoke scandalized. He had heard all sorts of things like a mean wolf, perverted monster, violent rebel but this was the first time he heard something that made him feel like a wimp.

"How'd you know I said you look like a Golden Labrador?"

"You just said it yourself!"

"I did?" Orihime's eyes grew into saucers. "I said that out loud? I…I take that back! I mean you look way too sexy to look like a puppy do…Wait! I reject that. I take that back too. I never said you look sexy. I said you look adorable…Wait NO! I take that back…" Orihime completely perplexed and embarrassed covered her face with her hands. She immediately went to her last resort, which was running away. However, she was forgetting momentarily that there was a spacious swimming pool beside her. She lost her footing and gave in to that something pesky called gravity. Knowing the fate that awaited her, she desperately grabbed on to her last hope. The only thing that was in reaching distance. Him. They both went flying into the water.

SPLASH!

Arms and limbs started flinging everywhere. Orihime felt some an arm around her.

"What d...do you, ugh" Ichigo spurted out some water. "...think you're do...ing?" When Orihime felt a hand grope her chest, her reflexes without failing acted right away. She punched him.

"Where do you think you're touching, you…you pervert?" She smacked him once more with more force than the first time before swimming towards the edge. She slowly pulled herself out of the water. Ichigo also pulled himself out of the water and plopped down beside her.

"What are you talking about? What pervert?" He snapped and stood up to his full height, clutching the side of his head. Orihime stood up as well.

"You…" Orihime after mustering some courage stabbed his chest to emphasize her point.

'Damn! Hard and solid.' She thought. She quickly shook her head and went on "…groped me!"

"What?" he replied furiously. "I did not! I wouldn't touch you even if you paid me to do it!"

Orihime felt something snap within her when she heard that. She kicked him in the knee."You're a complete sicko!" Feeling anguished and crushed, Orihime finally broke down into tears. She crumpled down like a puddle and grasped her knees. Anyone who suffered what she suffered from Rukia would have done the same thing. She remembered how Rukia called her many degrading things and made her feel unworthy and filthy over the years.

"Ouch…You bitch!" Ichigo couldn't think properly. He had just let this small weak girl manhandle him…three times. However, when he saw her crying sorrowfully, he just couldn't bring himself to say anything more hurtful. He followed suite and sat down beside her. He let her cry for awhile. Normally, he would have just sneered and walked away but for some odd reason, he felt the need to explain to her what had happened.

"Look…I thought you couldn't swim so I was trying to pull you out before you punched me, genius." He finally broke the silence. Orihime stopped crying and observed him. Ichigo frowned. When he saw her, he finally realized that they were both still drenched in water head to toe. He also realized things that were making him feel a bit warm. She actually looked quite pretty. **Not that he hasn't noticed that before.** With her long wet auburn hair cascading around her porcelain skin and with clothes sticking to her like second skin, he noticed curves and beauty he never noticed before. He was always used to superficial and materialistic kind of beauties, that her innocent purity looked refreshing.

"You thought…I couldn't swim?" Orihime asked timidly. She started feeling sorry and ashamed. She had hit him thrice when he was only trying to help her.

"What the fuck did you think I was doing? Trying to cope a feel?" Ichigo scoffed while fighting down a blush that was creeping slowly.

"I…I'm…I'm…I'm so sorry." Orihime bowed her head down. "I didn't know…" She muttered. "It's because I'm so stupid and I don't know anythi…" Orihime was on the verge of tearing up again.

"Shut up. Don't say that. And don't you dare cry again." Ichigo snapped angrily. He hated how this girl was acting so pitiful. She really needed to stand up for herself. "It was just a misunderstanding, okay. So don't say degrading stuff like that." Orihime looked at him gratefully. She finally mustered a smile. An honest smile that lighted up like the sun.

"Thank you." Ichigo flushed at her words. Why was he acting like a complete wuss? Especially in front of a weak girl like her?

"Let's change out of these clothes and go back." He stood up to leave but at the last second, he changed his mind. He reached down and helped Orihime up. Electricity coursed through both where they made contact. They both averted each other's gaze.

When Orihime and Ichigo made their way back to the front entrance, everyone immediately pounded them with questions.

"Why are you two in your gym clothes?" Renji asked.

"Yeah, and why are your hairs' wet?" Rukia lashed.

"Hope you weren't doing something improper to sweet Orihime…" Nel added in.

"Shut up. You assholes."

"Tch…what a potty mouth, Kurosaki. Speaking of assholes, you must have stuffed yours up with your watch or are you just immune to the time?" Uryu sneered.

"Ew…why are we talking about his ***ass**?" Grimmjow grunted disgusted. Ichigo felt his blood boiling.

"Will you just shut about my ass?" Ichigo yelled which caused Orihime to blush.

"Actually, nobody really wants to talk about your ass except for Rukia." Renji answered back. Rukia stomped her foot on top of Renji's.

"SO did anyone find a way out?" Nemu asked. Everyone shook their heads but they quickly started fighting again. A voice from the announcement interrupted the commotion.

"Children, it is starting to get dark outside. Everyone return to your homeroom and you will discover that your bed has been arranged for you already. Good night and make sure you dream about me!" Everyone gagged and made retching sounds upon hearing the last few words.

"Guess it's time for us to hit the sacks." Grimmjow yawned.

"A girl still needs her beauty sleep." Rukia said like a snob.

"Yeah, Rukia…you definitely need some." Ichigo took off for homeroom. However, he just couldn't suppress a grin that was forming around the corners of his lips. He still couldn't believe that a certain auburn-haired girl managed to punch, smack and knee him all in the course of a day. He would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit interested in her. In fact, he couldn't take his mind off her. Ichigo mentally slapped himself.

'Something must be wrong with my brain. She did have a strong left hook.' He thought…

End of Day One

* * *

*If you read my other Ichihime story "A Manhatten Tragedy"...you'll understand! My my, Orihime's got too many competition. Lol I guess it's time for me to hit the sacks too.


	3. Day Two: Feeling the music with you

**_Okay...whew. This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones. I'm still wondering about the IchiRuki fans. I still haven't read a single flame. Not that I'm complaining but it just seems bizarre. I mean those IchiRuki patrollers seem to have a sixth sense engraved into their brain. Well maybe, they just started to realize fandom is not important enough to start a war. ? Honestly, imagine these hateful (rotten apple bunch of course! There are still several nice IchiRuki fans who probably feel the same way as me) IchiRuki fans becoming involved in global politics or leaders of a faction. Remember 9-1-1? Osama Bin Laden? World War two? Yikes! Fanfiction is about expressing one's love for writing+favourite characters. Please don't abuse this. The important thing is not about whether it's Ichihime or IchiRUki. It's about people caring enough about these character to spend time on writing a novel, story etc. about these characters! That's what keeps fanfiction alive. To IchiHime supporters, let's all spread the love. This world needs it. As for the reviews, you guys are all so generous. I mean I haven't blushed like this since forever!_**

**_mosspaw: Hello! You misunderstood me. I meant to say that Orihime has many competition as a joke. Like about how many people can't get enough about Ichigo's buttocks. Heehee. Oh and I also think a guy who knows how to comfort a girl is dead-on sexy. It's just that Ichigo feels this way because he never acted like this with another girl before. Thanks for reviewing._**

**_Marvolo-san: Yes Rukia needs to be taught a lesson in the manga too...but that's up to Kubo. I can't do anything about that. But as far as this story is concerned...(grins evily)_**

**_bleachfanichime: That's a really good idea! It surprised me how several things you mentioned in your idea, I was thinking about it too! Yes...I do want Orihime to break out of her shell and Rukia to understand that she does not 'rule' the world. As for Ichigo and RUkia being together in the manga...I don't know. Kubo's not really aiming for a romance manga so there's a chance we might not get anything at all. But we can hope! Thanks for your contribution! I really appreciate it!_**

**_lunarstar77:I'll try but updates won't be as quick as the past two days for awhile. I need to finish writing my research essay for English first...hehe. I'm such a procrasticnator! Thanks for your review!_**

**_nypsy: Rukia will definitely get an epiphany. She'll gradually learn that she's just as human as everyone else. Thanks for the review!_**

**_DarkAngel2098: Aw thanx. i'll try to think up more scenes like the pool scene._**

**_XxLonexLovexX: Lol. I do that too. You should see me in a bus reading these reviews. I look like someone who escaped an asylum. Haha. Thanks for your review! It really does motivate a writer to well...write some more!_**

**_Bleachbunny3: will do. ;)_**

**_Fosterb: Yes and no. Sadly, you will not see any of the other pairings right away (besides Ichihime). Most will have a gradual transition and several distractions before they get to their final pairings. However the pairings you mentioned are the ones I have in mind for the finale...So doncha worry! Thanx for your review!_**

**_Disclaimer: I forgot to mention disclaimers previously. Please don't sue me. A_****_ll the licensed stuff I mentioned and will mention in this story do not belong to me!_**

Day Two: Feeling the music

It seemed like the principal knew what he was doing when he wanted to keep everyone at school for two weeks. Their homeroom was designed like a big club house with bunk beds and all their necessary belongings were present as well. Thanks to having traumatizing day, everyone dozed off pretty quickly.

The next day, sunlight creeped inside through the blinds and showered flecks of light.

"RISE AND SHINE, CHILDREN!" a voice said, rather loudly, through the announcement.

"ARGH!" Grimmjow threw a pillow at the intercom. "I was in the middle of a release!" He shouted. Nel threw her pillow at him instead.

"Too much information, kitty." She yelled.

"Look, Urahara. Who do you think you are? Big Ben?" Ichigo grunted while squinting at the intercom.

"I hate to agree with Kurosaki but it seems as though our actions are being monitored constantly." Uryu grabbed his glasses.

"Principal Urahara, I have a question." All eyes turned towards Orihime. "Y…you're not sp…spying o…on us, are you?" She stammered out.

"EWWW…You're not watching us getting changed?" Nemu screeched. Everyone waited for an answer.

"Of course not. I do not enjoy voyeurism."

"Well, get to the point." Rukia barked at the intercom. "What do you want?"

"Tsk tsk. Miss Kuchiki, I'm thinking your beauty sleep didn't go too well? It shows. Your face shows some distinct similarities to that of a bulldog." Urahara answered through the announcement. "Well. I have a task for all of you to complete by today. You will…"

"What makes you think we'll actually do what you say? I have better things to do than completing some mediocre task for incompetent fools." Uryu asked.

"Well…Uryu, why don't you check inside your desk? There should be something pink that might interest you." Sure enough, Uryu found something rather too pink inside his desk. He opened it. After reading whatever was inside, his face blanched completely colourless. He crumpled the note.

"Are you blackmailing us?" Uryu replied coolly.

"Yes…and no but doing the task I assign all of you will definitely prove to be beneficial. It will count towards your grade and also school services. Anyways, your task will be to complete a project. I've assigned you all a partner and you will share with your partner something you cherish very much. And it will be in the form of a book. bookFor example…I like to go fishing, so I would give my partner a book about fishing. After you have finished reading your partners chosen book, the two of you will make a project incorporating the two ideas. Any questions?"

"Who's my partner? As long as I get a partner with boobs, I'll be happy." Grimmjow winked at Neliel.

"Well, Grimmjow, you get Rukia. Renji you will…"

"When I said boobs, I meant it!" Grimmjow interrupted but stopped when Rukia threw her Versace stilettos at him.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was saying Renji you will be with Orihime, Ichigo will be partnered up with Nemu and that leaves Neliel and Uryu. First all of you will go to the library and pick out a book then all pairs will work separately in different designated rooms. Ichigo and Nemu, you two go to the music room, Orihime and Renji, will stay at the library, Uryu and Neliel can work in the textiles room and Rukia and Grimmjow can work in the cafeteria. Good luck." The announcement went dead.

"Forget it. It's not like he's going to know whether we did it or not." Ichigo lied down on his bed again.

"Trust me, Kurosaki. I'll know whether or not you did the project or not. Oh and before I forget, Nemu, you better get some new underwear that doesn't have hello kitty on it. Aren't you a bit too old for that?" The announcement went dead once again. Everyone else plugged their ears when a bloodcurdling scream began.

* * *

In the music room

"That guy's a fucking creep." Ichigo sat down by the grand piano while Nemu took a seat by the drum set. Nemu still was traumatized by the ordeal.

"So…you chose…Shakespeare? Taming of the Shrew?"

"And you expect me to read Twilight? Isn't this chick-lit?" They started reading each other's book. However after a few moments, Ichigo broke the silence.

"You know Inoue, right?"

"Yes…I know Inoue. What about her?"

"Nothing."

"Okay then."

"Actually, I'm curious. Do you know why she stutters?"

"No…well…actually I do…but Rukia will kill me if I…what the heck. What's said in this room better stay here."

"Forget it. I don't want to know."

"Okay! You see, Orihime's mentally unstable. I'd be too if I was her. Every lunch time, she hides in the bathroom because she's scared of Rukia."

"Why?"

"That I can't tell you because that will get me a death warrant for sure. " Nemu suspiciously peered at Ichigo. "I actually have a question for you. Are you interested in Orihime?" Ichigo might have scoffed but his heart did a somersault at the question.

"Go mind your own business."

"Fine!" Nemu angrily slammed the door for not being able to squeeze out fresh gossip material from Ichigo. However, Ichigo didn't mind in the slightest. He was too busy thinking about Orihime.

* * *

In the cafeteria

"What the hell is this? You brought me pornography to read?" Rukia shrieked.

"Yeah…fairy tales aren't any better." Grimmjow grunted.

"How the hell did you get your hands on this?"

"Uh…Library?"

"You bastard! These sorts of materials are banned from the Library. You must've picked it off out of somewhere."

"How'd you know?"

"This book doesn't have a library tag on it. I'm gonna check who it belongs to." Rukia quickly scanned the book for any signs of a name. Her fingers traced delicate handwriting spelling out…Kisuke Urahara. "I should've figured. What a creeper."

"So…fairy tales and porno. Nice." Grimmjow smirked. This earned him a smack from Rukia. However, Grimmjow smacked her back. Rukia was beyond surprised.

"Look, bitch. It seems like you've got it easy with the other dudes but this ain't gonna work with me, got it? Renji seems like a nice guy and Kurosaki, despite his bad boy demeanour, seems like a big puss…but I don't have a problem with hitting girls. Make sure it doesn't happen again." At that moment, the cafeteria door slammed open. Nemu came running in.

"Rukia! I got something major to tell you!"

"Go away." Rukia still shaken, replied.

"It's about Ichigo. He asked me about Orihime." That definitely caught Rukia's attention.

"Let's go to the ladies."

* * *

In the textiles room

"So…uhm. Are you sure this is the right book?" Neliel asked Uryu.

"I could ask you the same." Uryu said while holding up a book about quantum mechanics.

"Well…duh."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What? You thought just because I'm a cheerleader, I'm a complete airhead? For your information, I do appreciate mathematical formulations very much."

"…"

"…"

"Well…it did seem a bit far-fetched."

"Says the guy who gave me a book about haute couture in fashion."

"…"

"…"

"Okay. Fine. But why do you act like you're an airhead in class when you know so much about physics?"

"Well…you see it's a part of the job description."

"What job description?"

"For an uber nerd, you're not very bright. The job description for a cheerleader. Honestly, how many guys appreciate opinionated and clever girls?"

"I would prefer to have a conversation than stare at overlarge breasts."

"Let me rephrase that. How many GOOD-LOOKING guys appreciate opinionated and clever girls?"

"Ouch...You'd be surprised. Not all guys go for girls with silicone filled breasts and air filled cranium."

"Well, that's definitely not what I learned here at Karakura High." Neliel pouted. "I still can't believe you're a closet fashion junkie."

"Yeah. I can't believe you own a replica version of that Bvlgari ring. Model from 1984?"

"Oh my gosh. Even Rukia couldn't tell it was a fake! You're…you're a genius!" Uryu couldn't help but grin like a fool.

* * *

In the library

An awkward silence passed between Renji and Orihime. They just simply read their books and didn't say much to each other than what was necessary.

"Renji, I think I need to go to the bathroom."

"Okay. I'll be here."

After visiting the bathroom, Orihime on her way back however paused when she heard a delicate melody coming from the music room. Orihime was nearly hypnotized when she heard the familiar tune. It was a piece of music her brother had played before he died.

"Liszt…Liszt. Un sospiro." Orihime murmured to herself. She couldn't help but pry on the pianist. When she peered through the door, she found Ichigo playing. Orihime quietly slipped in. She completely enchanted by the music, reminisced the time when she was twelve. Completely lost in her pool of memory, she didn't realize that the piece of music stopped playing.

"It seems like you just can't stay away from me." Orihime heard someone breathing down her ears. She jumped. Ichigo was leaning near her.

"I…I di..didin't mean t..to p..ry! I…" Before Orihime could bolt out of the room, Ichigo placed himself right in front of the door, which blocked Orihime's only escape. She could feel Ichigo scanning her body up and down.

"I think I liked you better when you were wet." Orihime flushed bright red.

"I h…have to go b…back."

"You know how to play the piano?" Ichigo ignored her.

"No…" Orihime hesitated before saying. "…N…not anymore."

"How can you not know how to play…anymore?" Ichigo asked her.

"My b…brother, h…he taught me piano. But he died when I was twelve. I haven't learned it since."

"Go sit down."

"Huh?"

"Go sit down on the piano. I'll teach you."

"I…I re…really have t…to go…"

"My mom was a pianist before she died. I was eleven and I still know how to play the piano." Ichigo nodded towards the piano. "If I can do it, so can you." Orihime felt gratitude at those supportive words. She sat down.

* * *

In the meanwhile, Renji started wondering about Orihime. He was worried that Orihime might have gotten lost in the hallway. He decided to go look for her. When he went to the washroom, he instead her familiar voices. It belonged to Rukia. His heart started beating faster. He knocked.

"Uh…Is Orihime in there?" Rukia and Nemu came out.

"Why would she be here?" Rukia rolled her eyes. "Wait a minute." She turned towards Nemu. "Do you think that bitch might be with Ichigo right now?" Rukia made Nemu lead the way to the music room. Renji just stayed there confused. He decided to follow them.

After an hour, Orihime was able to play a simple prelude by Chopin.

"I…I…I can still play!" She said excitedly. Ichigo couldn't elp himself from grinning foolishly. They chatted animatedly until they were interrupted by an angry cough. Rukia was standing in front of the piano.

"What are you two doing?" She glared.

"Uh…I better go back." With that Orihime quickly dashed out of the room. When Orihime ran out the door and she accidentally crashed into Renji. They both sprawled down on the tile floors.

"I'm so sorry!" Orihime helped Renji back up.

"You…you're amazing." Renji stared at Orihime in awe. Orihime stared back in confusion. "A girl like you just managed to knock down the best football player, Karakura saw in the past two decades! Wow." Orihime was flattered.

"Well, I wouldn't be much useful for getting to the end zone." Orihime modestly replied.

"Wait…you know about football?"

"Yes."

"How about tennis?"

"Adore it."

"Wow…I thought all girls were like Rukia. She absolutely hates it when I talk about Sports with her. She thinks it's barbaric."

"You sound like you know here really well."

"Of course I know her well. I knew her since I was six."

"Really? But you guys didn't seem that close."

"Of course we don't seem close. All she ever cares about is that pretty-faced bastard, Kurosaki."

"…"

"…"

"…."

"…"

"You like her don't you?" Orihime broke the silence.

"W…WHAT? NO. NO. Of course not. NO!" Renji wailed. Orihime stared deep into his eyes. Renji diverted his gaze.

"Renji, your face is redder than your hair."

"Orihime, please stop it." When he accidentally looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but spill the beans on her. "Okay! I give up. I like Rukia but she doesn't even know that I exist!"

"So you're just going to let it stay that way?"

"Well…what can I do? Just don't tell her."

"Scout's honour." Orihime beamed. "How about this? Now that I know one of your weakness, I tell you mine. Renji looked at her confused.

"You want to tell me your weakness? Are you serious? That's a real bad strategy to use in sports…"

"Well…it might be a bad strategy but it wouldn't be fair to you, would it? Besides, I think I can trust you." Renji started growing really fond of the girl. The past hours seem like a completely different world. About a hour ago, they barely said a word to each other but now he felt closer to her than even Rukia.

"I…I have a crush on Ichigo." Renji cursed his bad luck. Why was it that every time he began to show some interest in a girl, she seemed to be harbouring feelings for that good-for-nothing punk?

"Not you too." Renji said dejectedly

"I just started to have one. He taught me how to play something my brother didn't finish." Orihime smiled. "Let's get back to work on our project.

* * *

At the end of the day, everyone finally gathered in their homeroom.

Renji and Orihime started off the presentations.

'Athletes and endless stomachs' by Orihime Inoue and Renji Abarai. Everyone liked how this presentation was light and scientific at the same time.

Next was Rukia and Grimmjow.

'The lemony and limey version of fairy tales.' By Grimmjow Jeagerjacques and Rukia Kuchiki. Several people were heavily blushing during their presentation.

Uryu and Nel wanted to go next.

'Using Quantum Mechanics to provide better insulation for Haute Couture.' By Uryu Ishida and Neliel Tu Overschvank. Everyone was shocked at how Neliel managed to explain everything without a single blunder.

Finally it was Ichigo and Nemu.

"Shakespeare meets Twilight." By Nemu Kuroutsuchi and Ichigo Kurosaki. Even Uryu was impressed at the fluid morphing of Shakespeare and Twilight. Right after Ichigo and Nemu finished their presentation, Urahara's voice was heard through the intercom.

"You all did very well today. Hope you all learned something important today! Stereotypes should not be finalized and discrimination should not cloud your judgement on other people. Valuable lesson. I'll see you all tomorrow. For now, I want you to just think about which project was the best for a vote tomorrow." The announcement went dead.

End of day two.

* * *

Before I forget, there is a poll I started on my profile. Please...I can't stress this enough...for the next chapter to get an update, please vote! It's a poll that will be an incentive to the next chapter!


	4. Day Three: Giving a helping hand

_**Okay...guys, I'm back. This chapter's much shorter than the previous one. It's like an introduction to the next one which will be much longer (and more interesting.) Again, I want to thank all my wonderful reviewers and a special thanks to all those who took the extra time to visit my profile to vote. However, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. I wished a bit more people voted. Then it would've really helped me in incorporating what my readers like, into this story.**_

_**GoodLuckMotherFuckers: Glad you liked it. This chapter is a bit more mild but the next one will be more interesting.**_

_**bleachfanichihime: I do that to. This other day, I was trying to upload another fiction of mine and I meant to hit the save button but I accidentally hit the refresh button and everything I wrote disappeared. Stupid,right? Anyways, thanks for your reviews. They're really helpful!**_

_**Fostersb: Yeah. I feel that way about Renji too. Rukia's completely blind. About the wild card, I don't think I'll add another character. That would be too difficult for me. There are so many different personalities already and I don't think I can handle another one at this moment. However, there will be a point when Rukia realizes what she missed out on.**_

_**XxLonexLovexX: THanx so much! However, to be honest, I don't think this chapter is that awesome. It sounds more like a filler and I'm hating it more and more, the more I read it.**_

_**Marvolo-san: Woa! You're from Poland? Oh My Gosh. I'm SOOOO JEALOUS! As a pianist myself, I worship Chopin! He is my next most favourite composer after Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. **_

_**nypsy: Orihime will break out of her shell someday...hopefully in the manga too.**_

_**Pae: It seems as though Nel and Uryu won the poll. Ichigo and Nemu came in a close second. I just wish more people voted. Then things would have been more interesting. Anywayz, thnz for your review!**_

_**Bleachbunny3: Sorry. No Renhime this chapter. There will be a Renji Orihime moment in future. Actually there will be several moments. I really appreciate your review!**_

_**Somerlia: I really like Renji too. I only like Ichigo with Orihime. If I imagine him with anyone else, I think I'll feel like throwing up. It just seems so...wrong. But with Renji, I just like him. Himself is fine too. LOL. Yeah...I also feel that way about Rukia too. I usually like her (that is when she's not part of THE love triangle-no need say the names of the other two characters) but lately with all the Ichihime hate, I'm not too sure.**_

_**Now on with the story!**_

Day Three: Giving a helping hand.

The next morning, Orihime made sure to wake up before anyone else. Now that she had discovered music again in her life, she wanted to try it out again. She began to play a piece of music that she enjoyed very much when she was younger. Before her brother's death, Orihime was a very talented pianist. At the age of twelve, she was already playing advanced pieces of music such as Jeux d'eau by a famous French impressionistic composer, Ravel, Abegg Variations by Schumann and her favourite at the time, Chopin Ballade no.1. Chopin was Sora Inoue's favourite composer. It also became Orihime's. Orihime decided to play the ballade again. She struggled.

"You like Chopin?" It was Ichigo.

"W…when…I…wh…why…" Orihime stammered. Ichigo put a finger on her mouth. Orihime's heart skipped a beat.

"We really have to do something about that stuttering. It's driving me insane." Ichigo smirked. "Well…let's get to work on this Chopin."

Orihime was truly starting to like Ichigo. When Sora died in a car accident, she was adopted by a kind couple who couldn't have a child of their own. Rangiku and Gin had tried their best to raise her like their own daughter. She was very grateful. Therefore she always tried her best so that she wouldn't disappoint them. However, when she moved away from her hometown to Karakura, problems began. She was always targeted for her different hair colour and she was bullied. Ichigo made her feel like she was back home with Sora.

Time passed by so quickly. Ichigo studied Orihime while her fingers were at work. She had long dark lashes, pale skin and a deeper shade of orange hair than his. She was gorgeous. What made her even more appealing was that she did not know how gorgeous she was. Ichigo couldn't look away. His face felt warm and his hand became sweaty. His heartbeat drummed like a trill across the piano. A voice in the announcement finally broke his gaze.

"Children, the votes are in. It seems as though Uryu and Nel got the most votes. Congratulations, you two. Now because you won the most votes, you will lead the next project. Our school will host the winter season's Charity show and we decided to collaborate Uryu and Nel's project idea. We will do a fashion show. Everyone will be a part of this event. There will also be many guests…Any questions?"

"Where's Ichigo and Orihime?" Renji pointed out. Just then, the two of them came running into the class. Everyone stared. Rukia glared. Nel had an evil glint in her eyes.

"Uh…w…when's the sh…show?" Orihime asked.

"Tomorrow."

"WHAT?" Everyone yelled out in unison.

"Good luck. If you need anything, just use the telephone in the office. It will directly connect you to me."

"There's a telephone?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes…but no need to overwhelm your tiny brain, Mr. Kurosaki. It does not have any numbers. You won't be able to call 9-1-1." Everyone groaned at the response. "Well…time's ticking. Everyone get to work."

* * *

Uryu quickly became in charge of designing the clothes. While he was working on the sketches, everyone began to put up decorations. Nel worked with the lighting system and sound controls. Everyone was impressed. Rukia worked on putting rose petals across the catwalk. Ichigo and the other guys handled all difficult labour such as shipping heavy things around. When Uryu finished several designs, he called Orihime and Nemu who were making artificial flowers, to help him make the designs.

"Orihime, can you I use you as a fitting model? Nemu, for now can you help me put pins on her?" Uryu gave directions. Nemu started to feel attracted to Uryu. The way he was directing everyone and giving instructions dazed her. Nemu felt strange. A mixture of admiration and confusion was coursing through her mind. Nemu knew she was always a follower; therefore she always admired people who takes control. However with Uryu, it was the confidence that he extruded even if he was bullied by Rukia, that caught Nemu off guard.

When Nemu was putting pins on to hold the fabrics together, Uryu accidentally grazed her hand. She felt electricity jolt through her body.

"Ouch." Orihime yelped.

"S…sorry. I'm so sorry, Orihime." Nemu stuttered out. What was that feeling? Nemu became upset. She couldn't be harbouring feelings for Uryu, could she?

Nel, after setting up the system, came to see Uryu and his assistants to see how they were doing. When she saw Orihime, she pulled her to the side.

"Orihime, what were you doing with Kurosaki this morning?"

"Kurosaki? Who's th…You mean, I…I…Ichigo?"

"Yeah, him."

"No…no…nothing!" Orihime was a horrible liar. Nel noticed.

"You like him, don't you?"

"NO! NO! It's nothing like that. He was teaching me piano." Nel's eyes grew round.

"He taught you…piano? Him? Wow. He must really like you too." When Nel caught Ichigo, who was now Uryu's fitting model, staring subtly at Orihime, an idea formed in her mind. She went over to Uryu, who was busy working away with his needle. She whispered something into his ears.

"Ouch…Watch where you're poking that thing, you four-eye." Ichigo yelled. Uryu grinned. Nel mirrored his look. Ichigo grimaced. He didn't like the looks on their faces one bit.

* * *

When all the clothes were made and everything was put together, everyone went back to homeroom except for Uryu, Nel and Orihime. They stayed behind in the auditorium.

"Guys…You don't need to do that for me."

"Of course we don't. But we want to, right Uryu." Nel elbowed him.

"Orihime, I never really talked to you but I always knew that you are a very kind person. I would like to help you very much."

"I think you're a very kind person too. Not only you're kind but you're so brave. I always run away from Rukia, but you're not afraid to confront people who step over you." Orihime replied. Uryu fought a blush.

"Just make sure you invite us to your wedding with Kurosaki if everyone goes accordingly to the plan." Uryu said.

"Woah, Uryu…You actually know how to joke? I thought you were always…too serious. Like a snob." Nel laughed.

"I think you're describing yourself." Uryu added. Nel's stopped laughing in shock, momentarily. Then she suddenly burst out roaring. Uryu and Orihime joined in.

The three of them quickly became very good friends. After talking with each other for some more, when they realized the sun setting (and all the cookies ran out), they retired to their homeroom as well.

End of day three.

* * *

Next chapter, there will be several appearances of many new characters. Of course, their appearances will be just for the next chapter but it will definitely add more drama. (eg. Ichigo's dad, remember him? Now I wonder how bad boy Kurosaki would react towards his fluffy and childish father in front of Orihime...) For now...good night!

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Don't let the bed bugs bite. Sorry XD. Couldn't resist...XD


	5. Day Four: On with the show

**_Wah...I forgot to update yesterday! I was so busy with piano, that I fell asleep when I got back home. When I woke up today, I was like...Oh no! My precious readers, how could I forget about them! Because, I felt bad, I made this chapter longer than I originally intended it to be. Please enjoy and a grateful thanks to everyone who reviewed!_**

**_Also a special thanks to LastGirlOnTheWrite who has agreed to beta for me! Today's chapter will be the last one where you'll have to endure my terrible spelling and other equally disasterous problemos! Yay! _**

**_Somerlia: Oh oh, hope you're not feeling cranky today...(*whispers* P.S. Feel free to beat up Rukia today). _**

**_nypsy: You are blessed with a sixth sense! LOL. You'll understand after you finish reading today's chapter. Also, I totally agree with you about Kubo making Orihime so...dependent. She definitely needs makeover in the manga. (I'm talking about a personality makeover...as far as her looks are concerned, she looks like a goddess already.)_**

**_DoubleCandy: Heehee *blushes miserably*...thanx!_**

**_bleachfanichihime: Thank you so much for all the support you're giving me! I can't say this enough_**

**_bleachbunny3: of course!_**

**_Marvolo-san: No, I'm not a masochist but you gotta admit, Poland is so rich with cultural history and even if the roads are covered with holes, there are still so much other things to appreciate! You guys not only produced Chopin but Copernicus, Joseph Conrad, Roman Polanski! Anyways...thanx for reading my fic!_**

**_Fostersb: Haha...Renji does seem better off without Rukia...but who doesn't in this story. As for IChigo, Grimmjow and Renji, I do have something in store for them...However REnji and Ichigo will also have a rivalry thing going on between them. Thans for your review!_**

**_XxLonexLovexX: Awww...thanks! I'll try to read your story after I finish this one! Things are so hectic in my life at the moment, I can't enjoy the other Ichihime fics at the moment. I barely cant believe I managed to write five chapters within a week for this story! And that's all thanks to readers like you! THanks, once again, for all your support!_**

**_Pae: I didn't exactly plan out to put up a poll since I already had an outline for my story but I figured at the last minute that it would be so much more interesting to engage with the reader and to find out what they enjoy reading. So at the moment, I don't have any plans for another poll but who knows what I'll pull out of my sleeves? Lol._**

Day Four: On with the show

Finally, when the sun began to rise, everyone was waking up, even without a wake-up call from their principal. They quickly went to the auditorium for a rehearsal. Uryu immediately gave out directions to everyone.

"Okay, everyone will be a model for the show except for Nel and me. Rukia, you will open the show, tonight." Uryu stated. Rukia had a grin planted on her lips. "Renji, you'll go next, and then we'll have Nemu. Next, Grimmjow, you'll go out and Orihime and Ichigo will go out as a couple for the first round. Because we do not have many models, we'll recycle. Grimmjow and Rukia, you guys will start the second round, Renji and Orihime will go after and Ichigo and Nemu will close up the second round. Finally for the second round, we'll have Rukia and Nemu go out together, Grimmjow and Renji together and then Ichigo and finally Orihime you will be the last model."

Everyone returned Uryu a confused look.

"Uryu, you never made much sense before when you tried explaining how to do stoichiometry but right now, you sound like you lost your mind." Renji blinked innocently.

"Nel can you help me backstage when you're not altering the lighting patterns?" Uryu asked. Nel winked back at him.

"Okay…let's get started. First a MAKEOVER is in the house!" Nel pumped up her fist. Orihime started to look nervous. Nemu and Rukia, who were very familiar with makeup, immediately went to a mirror to apply some on their faces. The guys however, were furious when Uryu tried to put foundation on them.

"You're gay!" Grimmjow shouted angrily. "and you're trying to make us gay too!" When Uryu managed to evade his punch and land some powder on Grimmjow's face with his swift and quick feet.

"I already have perfect skin…so don't. Unless you want me to lock you up inside a locker." Ichigo stated nonchalantly.

* * *

On the girls part of the backstage, things were definitely going better with Nel and Orihime. When Nel finished giving Orihime her makeover, she took a moment to look at her finished product.

"Wah…Orihime. You look…" Nel was completely speechless.

"Bad? Ugly? Like a witch?"

"No that's Rukia." Nel answered her. "Orihime, take a look at yourself."

Orihime looked at the mirror in front of her. She too, was in awe at the reflection staring back at her.

"Is this really me?"

"Orihime, you were very beautiful before but now…you look like a goddess." Nel patted her back. Orihime immediately stood up and gave Nel a warm and tight hug. "You have to thank Uryu too. Part of it was his idea."

Orihime nodded and walked over to where Uryu was. All eyes were on her. Renji was just as breath taken as Ichigo. Grimmjow made a loud wolf-whistle. However, Orihime was blatantly staring at their chest. Bare, naked chests.

"Uh…shouldn't you…finish…changing?" The guys were confused. They finally noticed that they were in the process of changing their clothes.

"Shit, Orihime. You're not supposed to look at people when they're changing." Renji grunted while trying to put on his pants. He tripped over his own foot and fell on his buttocks. Orihime giggled.

"Uryu, I want to thank you." Uryu immediately understood what Orihime was thanking him for and waved her off with a little it-was-nothing reply. Ichigo just couldn't take his eyes off her. Her long chiffon dress was flowing elegantly down her body. Her pale skin felt so rich against the shimmery pink colour and her hair which was in up in a chignon with loose waves, made her look as though she was a goddess who fell down from the heavens. Also, he noticed something he never noticed before. She was voluptuous. The dress revealed ample amount of cleavage which made Ichigo very angry. He felt angry that others were going to get a view of something only his eyes should lay upon.

'Wait' Ichigo thought. 'Why do I sound like a possessive bastard? It's not like she's my sister or my friend.'

Another voice in his head replied, 'Of course you don't see her as a sister or a friend. You see her as YOUR girl.' Ichigo shook the thought out of his head.

Renji on the other hand, was feeling confused as well. When he first met Orihime, it was in grade eight which was four years ago. However the first time he talked was just a few days ago. That was the day, he began to feel confused. He liked Rukia for a very long time but he couldn't help himself starting to like Orihime. Orihime understood him. She understood his passion for sports and how involved he was with it. Not only did she understand but she also said, she herself, was very interested in sports but she never played any because she wasn't good at it. Rukia ignored him and she talked down to him.

Rukia was visibly flaring while Orihime was glowing. She hated how Ichigo wouldn't stop staring at Orihime. Rukia thought that she, herself, looked just as much as a gorgeous goddess as Orihime but nobody was noticing her. Even Nemu went up to Orihime to compliment her. Rukia angrily stomped to the change room. However, something caught her attention. A pair of scissors. She smiled evilly.

* * *

The show was about to begin. People began to file in to the wide auditorium. Among the audience were, Orihime's step parents, Gin and Rangiku, Ichigo's dad and sisters, Renji's cousin and uncle, Toushirou and Ukitake, Uryu's father, Grimmjow's parent, Aizen and Tia, Nel's parents, Nnoitra and Loly and Nemu's father, who looked like this was the last place on earth, he wanted to stay.

The only family who didn't come was Rukia's brother. He told Urahara that he had an important conference in France. All he did was sending a beautiful bouquet of roses.

"Everyone, I would like to thank you for coming to our annual winter show. Today's show will be a lot more special than our previous ones. Instead of sponsoring, everything is student made! Let the show begin!" Urahara flashed a smile. The lights began to dim and the disco lights came on. The spotlights were on the catwalk. Soft but rhythmic instrumental music came on and Rukia stepped out.

She was wearing a short cocktail dress in a bright scarlet colour. Her face sported dark plum smoky eyes which enhanced her own violet orbs and her mouth had a light nude lipstick on.

Next walked out, Renji. His hair, which was usually up in a ponytail, cascaded down his shoulders. They were slightly wet and it made him look so sexy. His grey tuxedo just made girls in the front seats, drool.

Nemu walked out in a black jumpsuit and an animal patterned belt. Her usual calm hair was up in a Mohawk. She actually looked glamourous. She, for the first time, felt like she was in control over herself.

Grimmjow, however, looked so different from his usual self, even his parents couldn't recognize him. He was sporting the nerd look. With his usual teal spiky hair settled down, white knee socks, a pair of oxfords and black framed glasses, he looked like a drool-worthy nerd.

Next it was Ichigo and Orihime's turn to walk out. Everyone gasped at the duo. Isshin screamed out, "That's my son! That's my son!" Karin punched her dad squarely in the mouth.

Orihime was gorgeous in an ethereal light cherry blossom pink gown while Ichigo was wearing a black blazer and leather pants. When they made their way back to backstage, they noticed how hectic things were. There were clothes scattered everywhere and everybody changing without a care in the world to who's looking. Nel quickly grabbed Orihime while Uryu grabbed Ichigo. Nel undressed Orihime and gave her second clothes.

Grimmjow and Rukia went out together this time. Grimmjow's hair was back to its spiky self. This time, he was wearing a sleek white tuxedo while Rukia had a long flowing black ball gown. The two were dynamic!

Renji and Orihime walked out channelling the opposite look. Orihime was wearing white mini wedding dress while Renji was in the standard black tuxedo.

Next Nemu and Ichigo walked out the catwalk. They were in sportier clothes. Nemu was wearing a fruity pastel coloured polo with a white tennis skirt while Ichigo was wearing a stripped polo shirt paired with khakis.

It was finally the final round! Nemu and Rukia strutted down the runway. Nemu was wearing a turquoise sparkly chiffon gown while Rukia was wearing a black suit.

Grimmjow and Renji walked out also in suits but Grimmjow was wearing a deep purple one and Renji, an emerald green one.

Finally Ichigo stepped out in a sparkly black tuxedo which was covered with black sequins and silver chains.

Orihime was the final number. She, finally getting used to this, walked out in a beautiful pastel silver long dress. The chest area was covered with silver sequins and jewels while the lower half was flowing silk and lace. However, when she reached the end of the runway, part of her dress fell off. Her long pale sinewy legs were in bare sight. Orihime felt tears wielding up at the corners of her eyes. She was humiliated. Before she could run away, a pair of large, calloused hands grabbed hers. Ichigo took off his jacket and wrapped in around Orihime. He lifted her up and carried her in a bridal style out of the auditorium.

"It's alright. Everything's alright." He whispered into her ears. Orihime cried on his chest.

He went into the swimming pool, instead of the music room. The first place where he talked to her. He threw her into the water. Orihime yelped completely caught off guard. She plunged into the water. When she swam back up to the surface, she saw Ichigo jump in too. When he spurt water out, Orihime laughed. This was the first time Orihime laughed without any self-conciousness since her brother died. Ichigo laughed along with her. It was the same for him. He hasn't laughed like this since his mother died either. The two played in the water like little children. They splashed water at each other. But suddenly, Ichigo was nowhere in sight. Orihime scanned everywhere around her. She felt something touch her foot and suddenly she was pulled into the water. When they finally pulled themselves out of the water, they sat by the ledge of the pool.

"Feeling better?" Ichigo asked her. Orihime nodded.

"Ichigo…Why did you bring me here?"

"This…was the first time I really met you."

"But we met before, haven't we? I always saw you down the hallway."

"You're not stuttering anymore."

"I thought we…what?"

"You're not stuttering anymore."

"Oh."

They stared into each other's eyes. An awkward silence passed between them. Orihime's heart was vibrating so fast, she could almost hear a hum. Ichigo was so lost in her gaze, his lips hurt. When he saw her pink lips, he felt like dying if he couldn't kiss them. Without a second thought, Ichigo brought his face closer to Orihime's. Orihime closed her eyes, waiting for Ichigo to kiss her. However they heard frantic footsteps down the hallway and quickly broke apart. They heard Nel's voice.

"Orihime!" Nel pulled her into a hug. "Are you alright? What happened? Wait…why are you all wet? What did you do to her, Kurosaki?" Nel was looking more dangerous than a tiger looking at a rabbit to eat.

"He didn't do anything. Nel, I swear. I feel better now." Orihime comforted Nel.

"Orihime, are you sure?" Orihime felt a hand gripping her shoulder. It was Renji.

"It seems as though, someone was trying to sabotage you, Orihime." Grimmjow spoke to her for the first time. "The remaining part of your dress looked like someone cut it on purpose. Honestly, I would like to thank the person who did that. Your legs looked delicious." Before Renji or Ichigo could punch the daylights out of Grimmjow, Nel pushed him into the pool.

"Hey!" He shouted.

"Looks like the kitty cat's scared of the water." Uryu spoke as he came into the pool. "Principal Urahara managed to calm your parents down, Orihime. They told me to give this to you since they couldn't find you." He handed Orihime a bouquet. Orihime pulled out a note embedded between the delicate pink roses.

We love you so much so always keep your chin up. There are so many people who love you, no matter who you are.

Your mom and dad

Orihime smiled. However before, she could ask where her parents were, Nel screamed. Grimmjow pulled her leg and she went flinging inside the water. But before she fell, she managed to grab on to Orihime. Orihime also felt herself falling into the water. Renji and Ichigo, who were both trying to grab on to Orihime, tripped over each other and also fell into the water. Uryu laughed at them. Nel splashed a wave over to him.

"Urgh, Nel!" He wailed. "I might as well too, since I'm already wet." Uryu did the cannon-ball, splashing everyone else with water. They all laughed. However, there was a little bit of tension between Renji and Ichigo. Nobody else noticed.

"What do you think you're doing, Kurosaki." Renji whispered but it was still menacing.

"None of your business, Abarai." Ichigo replied just as threateningly.

"Look. I will kill you if you hurt Orihime."

"What's Orihime to you? Before we got locked up, you never gave her a second glance."

"You weren't any different, Kurosaki."

"Shouldn't you be thanking me? Especially now that I'm out of your way? Go fuck Rukia or something." Renji was about to lunge at Ichigo but they both felt water splash their way. It was Orihime. She giggled. Nel yelled at them from beside her.

"Gosh, you two, get a room." Both Ichigo and Renji yelled back at her at the same time. However they stopped when Orihime splashed some more water at them. Renji and Ichigo splashed some more back at her, forgetting about their little feud and working as a team. They were all laughing and enjoying their time together, forgetting for the first time, all their differences and stereotypes.

It was needless to say, everyone had a fun night…except for Nemu and Rukia. They were still in the backstage of the auditorium.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Nemu accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you coming out of the change room. And that's where Uryu kept all the clothes."

"Look, you slut. Breathe a word to this to anyone, I'll tell everyone your little…secret." Nemu's eyes went round.

"No you wouldn't."

"Oh yes I would."

Nemu felt tears wielding up her eyes. She wished she never told Rukia her past.

"Fine. I won't tell anyone but I don't want to be your friend anymore." Nemu felt betrayed.

"Girl…I was never your friend in the first place. Got that, you whore." Rukia pushed Nemu out of her way. All Nemu could do was cry, biting her lips so that nobody could hear her.

End of day four.

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So...I got some Ichihime pictures I've drawn over the years and I really don't want them to go to waste. I'll start putting them up soon so please check them out when they're up. I'll put up a link on my proflie or something.

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Coming soon to Fanfiction in November...Sorry. I did it again. I just couldn't resist. LOL


	6. Day Five: Breaking out of the shell

**_Everyone! This is the new beta-ed version of chapter six by TheLastGirlOnTheWrite! _**

**_WARNING: THIS IS NOT THE NEXT CHAPTER!_**

**_Okay...It's official. I'll be going on a temporary hiatus until November 15 so there will be no updates until then. I'm really sorry everyone but I got to keep up with my other commitments too-so please don't abandon this story! But I still love you guys so I'll try to upload two or three chapter on the 15th to make up for the lost time...Until then, farewell!_**

**_XxLonexLovexX: I was thinking about that too but I wasn't really sure which name you preferred so I went with the safer one...Lol Anyways no problem. I love adding random tidbits like that into the story even if it is a bit distracting. That's just my personality._**

**_HEART-AS-COLD-AS-FIRE: You're too generous! My writing's still very amateurish. There's always room to grow and practice makes perfect!_**

**_mosspaw: Next time I update, I'll try to get you in on the action too._**

**_Turtle-chan666: i don't mind your rambling. I do that too ALOT! Okierdokers I'll PM you if you feel more comfortable that way._**

**_Somerlia: No need to feel sorry. I HEART your reviews. Your descriptions bring a smile on my face._**

**_nypsy: Jealousy will be the seed of chaos in this story. Spoiler: Renji will somehow get mixed into this love triangle. However I kinda feel sorry for him because it will be unrequited love._**

**_Minazuki-Shihouin: It was kinda rushed. I was in a rush to squeeze in a last update before going on a hiatus so...yeah. And Somerlia and XxLonexLovexX are other reviewers for this fic. LOL..._**

**_Teruhime: I like cat fights...MEOW. Rukia will get an epiphany and Renji will definitely play a part in it._**

**_PENNNY2009: Thank you. I already finished the outline so there will be a steady update as of the November 15! There will be ten more chapters without this one included. This is just the beta-ed version of chapter six._**

**_Fostersb: Nemu needs a prince charming as well. We'll see._**

**_bleachbunny3: Totally. _**

**_Rivendell101:Renji's kinda got it bad. He's starting to develop a crush on Orihime..._**

**_yoyogigi125: Aww... I'm sorry. There's going to be no new chapters until the fifteenth. _**

**_WestAnimeBrigade: Thanks!_**

**_Maddiebug: I'm glad this story made you feel better. Hope you get well soon. BTW, my OTP's IchiHIme too. Just a hint. OF COURSE they'll end up together!_**

**_Marvolo-san: I'm a strange one too. I know. I agree it's not my favourite Ichihime moment but it's an important step in their relationship._**

**_Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews. It really makes my day so much brighter and fuller. And don't forget to thank TheLastGirlOnTheWrite for being a wonderful beta-reader!_**

Day five: Breaking out of the shell

Rukia was screaming for her life. Someone was chasing her with a Valentino high heel shoe. When she ended up in a corner, with nowhere else to run, Rukia slowly turned around.

"Who are you?" Rukia asked.

"Someone who's gonna beatyou up until you're purple all over."

"Wait! Don't start without me!" Another voice said. "I'm XxLonexLovexX."

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Somerlia." Somerlia replied to XxLonexLovexX.

"Please, I beg you! I'll give you anything you want! Let me go!" Rukia wailed. She was so frightened her legs collapsed underneath her. Somerlia and XxLonexLovexX looked at each other. They rolled up their sleeves. Somerlia began to pelt Rukia with the stilettos and XxLonexLovexX punched Rukia's pretty face until it was unrecognizable. When they were done, Rukia had a bloody nose, several broken ribs and her body was badly mangled up.

That was when Rukia woke up screaming. She just had a nightmare where she was getting beaten up with a high heel shoe. Someone who went with the name Somerlia was beating her up with the shoes and another called XxLonexLovexX punched her in the face until it was looked remotely similar to that of Frankenstein. Everyone else woke up startled by her scream. It was only eight in the morning. Everyone groaned.

"Geesh, you're a screamer." Grimmjow glared. Rukia threw her pillow at him.

That was when the PA system came on again, carrying with it Urahara's far too jovial voice.

"Good morning, students! After some discussion, we have decided that for doing such a good job at the fashion show yesterday, despite our unexpected finale,you guys deserve a little break. There's a party set up in the gymnasium for all of you to enjoy."

Everyone raised their eyebrows at that. Urahara was giving them a day off?

What was the catch?

After a few nervous glances at her fellow students, Nel finally sighed before deciding to address the problem at hand.

"Urahara… why won't you let us go out? I mean, we've been cooped up in here for DAYS! If we're supposed to be getting a break, then why not let us go home?"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. As much as I would like to put you all on the honour-system, I know for a fact that if I let you out, you won't come back and all of my effort will have been wasted!" Urahara replied with far too much cheer for a kidnapper.

Several growls and groans filled the air, but no one moved to leave the room. After a few minutes of awkward silence, a muffled 'Che' was heard before a young man with bright orange hair decided to lie back down.

"I'm not going."

Stunned silence filled the room for a moment before the intercom again spoke up.

"Yes you are, Kurosaki-san."

"Oh, really? Make me."

With that the unruly teen rolled over, fully intent on going back to sleep, and would have done just that if an exaggerated sigh hadn't just rolled out from the PA system.

"Well, Kurosaki, I really didn't want to resort to this, but I'm afraid you leave me no choice. Everyone, if you would be so kind as to go to your desks and check inside, I believe you will find a wonderful slip of pink paper."

Everyone looked back at the intercom in disbelief with the exception of Uryu Ishida. The book-smart teen winced, knowing full well what was likely on those pieces of other's looked worriedly towards their desks before even Ichigo found curiosity getting the better of him. One by one they made their way to their respective seats, each reaching in to search the space before them.

To their collective surprise there was indeed a small, pink envelope hidden away for each person. They all wasted little time in opening the envelopes, and each immediately wished they hadn't. As each student read the seemingly harmless note they noticeably paled and the room fell deathly silentbefore the intercom again broke through the chilled atmosphere.

"Do I need to say anymore?" Urahara asked. Most of the students merely shook their heads in the negative, not trusting their voices at the moment.

One, however, was unable to be silent.

"But how?" Nemu yelled, her voice threaded with shame and threatening tears, "I never told anyone except for Rukia! How could you know _this_?"

"Let's just say, I have my sources." Was Urahara's only reply.

"So…you're blackmailing us?" Grimmjow spoke in disgust as he ripped his paper to shreds.

"Not exactly. I'm just showing you a hypothetical consequence. Like, say for example, Kurosaki here decided to _not _participate in today's activities. If that were to happen, I would have no way of guaranteeing that a few hundred of those little slips of paper wouldn't suddenly appear all over the school as soon as classes start again. However, if Kurosaki _does _participate, then I _can _guarantee that such a thing will _not _happen. Now, children, go and have some fun. You should be enjoying it while you can."

Everyone shivered but did as they were told and started heading towards the gymnasium with the exception of Orihime, who had to stop by the washroom first.

In the Gym, everyone was impressed. There was a disco ball for dancing, food, video games and even a karaoke machine all set up just for them. However, despite the festive atmosphere the students still felt a bit nervous and exposed.

Nemu quickly found herself to be far more agitated than the rest of the unwilling group. She excused herself and went to the washroom hoping to calm down enough to keep from making a fool of herself again. When she entered the bathroom, however, she found Orihime still hiding out inside. When Orihime turned and saw Nemu standing in the doorway she remembered all the times Nemu and Rukia would chase her down and attack her in the bathroom. The frightened girl's body suddenly started shaking, but just before Orihime's instinct to bolt for the door was about to take over Nemu gently grabbed her arm.

"Orihime…can… can I have a word with you?" Nemu asked with her eyes downcast in shame.

"I…I…W…what did I do this time?" Orihime stuttered, trying to calm down and hide her shaken nerves.

"I…" Nemu swallowed before taking a deep breath to steady herself, "I want to apologize for everything that's happened. I know I probably don't deserve to be forgiven, but after all the horrible things I've done to you I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I've always regretted doing those mean things to you." Nemu's eyes were swimming with tears as she finally looked up to match Orihime's gaze, "I'm so sorry."

"Nemu…" Orihime smiled despite the moisture gathering on her eyelids, "I…"

Words failed Orihime at that moment, so she did the next best thing and pulled the crying girl into a hug. From that moment on, the two formed a new friendship that was stronger than crazy glue. As the tears finally let up, the pairwasted no time in chattering like old friends meeting for the first time in years.

"…so I always thought Rukia was all that, but she's just so_fake_. Orihime, it was Rukia who cut your dress up. She told me if I tell anyone about this, she's going to tell everyone my secret but I still thought you should know." Nemu told her new friend, and upon hearing this Orihime's eyes flashed with understanding.

"Wait…Nemu, was this secret the one that you mentioned to Principal Urahara this morning?"

"Yes. Why?"

"He knew one of my biggest secret too. I never told anyone so far."

"Wow…he must be really serious about us staying at this school."

"I know."

"I think I can trust you. No. I already trust you, Orihime. I never told this to anyone except for Rukia and I know it's crazy but I feel so much closer to you than I ever felt toher." Nemu giggled but the mirthful gesture didn't reach her eyes. "You saw my father yesterday, right?"

"Yes. He looked a bit stoic."

"Stoic? You call that stoic? You're too nice. I call that…" Nemu felt tears suddenly falling down her cheeks again, "…He wasn't always like that. There was a time when…I had a happy family. But one day, my father decided to get married again. The woman had a son from a previous marriage and he became my step-brother." Nemu looked into Orihime's eyes despite the freely flowing tears. "I was raped by my step brother when I was fourteen and I became pregnant. Ever since, my own father couldn't even look at me in the eye. He blames me for breaking up the family again." Nemu cried silently as Orihime held her hands and tried to comfort her.

"Nemu…it's alright. Just let it out." Orihime soothed her remembering what Ichigo whispered into her ears. "Nemu, I'm pretty sure that's not true. Your father's only acts that way because he loves you. He's probably feelsthat it's his fault that you had to go through something so horrible."

"You really think so?" Nemu asked, a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"I know so. I should tell you the secret that was on my pink slip of paper too. You see… I…I was adopted by my parents when I was twelve. I never had parents before that. My brother raised me but when he passed on, I had to go to a foster home and my parents they saw me there and they adopted me. I felt so grateful. Usually people stay away from adopting big kids." Orihime told Nemu.

"Wow. I would've never guessed that." Nemu replied, "Look, Orihime, I'm so sorry for everything I did to you."

"It's alright Nemu. I already forgave you. You don't have to say sorry to me anymore." Orihime replied. Nemu was about to say sorry yet again, but they heard someone open the nearby door.

"Well, well, well… aren't we getting emotional?" Rukia stormed into the washroom and immediately shoved Orihime to a wall. "You, bitch, stay away from Ichigo. He's only being nice to you because he feels sorry for you or maybe he just wanted an easy lay. Who wouldn't? You're so pathetic and stupid. Nobody wants you. You just said it yourself that you're an…orphan. Even your parents didn't want you." Rukia sneered, but the look turned to one of shock when a sharp pain erupted on her cheek.

Orihime had slapped her.

"I…I'm not stupid" Orihime spoke in a small whisper, but her voice was laced with a quiet, angry hurt, "I'm n…not stupid, and I'm not pathetic either. I'm not pathetic! I'M NOT STUPID! I'M NOT UNWANTED!" Orihime's voice grew louder and louder, the sound emboldening her further. "YOU'RE WRONG RUKIA! It's not ME nobody wants… ITS YOU! You're being awful to everyone else because you're feeling sorry for yourself! ISN'T THAT RIGHT? I know my parents aren't my biological parents, but at least they're THERE for me! They've always treated me like their own daughter but you…your own brother, he always chose work over you, didn't he?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Rukia screamed, hurt and enraged by just how close to home those words rang. Without thinking she pounced on Orihime and started hitting her. Nemu, who up till this point was watching to the side, quickly pulled Rukia off of Orihime.

"Orihime, get out of here…Hurry, go!" Nemu urged her new friend to leave as she struggled holding a hysterically screaming Rukia back.

"Nemu…?"

"Just go! I'll handle this." Orihime quickly ran out of the washroom and to the gym, looking for help. As she entered the room she quickly grabbed onto the first boy she could find.

"Renji, please. Do you have a moment?" Orihime began in a slight panic but Ichigo interrupted her.

"Orihime what is it?" Ichigo muttered, trying and failing to hide the heat in his voice. As he approached the distressed girl he grabbed Orihime's hand and pulled it from Renji's arm with slightly more force than necessary.

"I…" Orihime's head was spinning. She actually thought it would be best that Renji stop Rukia because he knew since he was little and should be able to calm her down.

"What do you think you're doing, Kurosaki?" Renji threatened Ichigo, who growled in response as he grabbed Renji by the collar.

"Will you guys stop it?" Orihime yelled, surprising everyone. "I need help! Nemu needs help! Rukia might be…Please!" Orihime stammered nervously. The frightened look in her eyes was enough to stop everything else as everyone ran to the girls' washroom. There they found Rukia pounding into Nemu as though her life depended on it. Renji quickly picked Rukia up despite her kicking and screaming for him to release her while everyone else moved to help Nemu out of the bathroom.

Before they could leave, however, Ichigo pulled Orihime aside and waited for the room to clear out. When they were finally alone, the young punk spoke up.

"I don't understand."

"What do you mean you don't understand?" Orihime asked back, becoming slightly confused by his behaviour.

"I want to know what's going on between you and Renji…" Ichigo whispered before growling to himself and shaking his head in anger, "You know what? Forget it. I don't care. That's not my problem. It's not like you mean anything to me."

"What?" Orihime suddenly felt like fainting from the young man's heated words, "Then…why?"

"Why what? Why did I help you out? Why did I act like I actually cared?" Ichigo's voice quietly seethed, though he wasn't sure why he was so angry, and it quickly got the better of him, "I don't know. Maybe I just wanted an easy lay?"

Ichigo immediately regretted saying those words as felt his cheek stinging. Orihime had slapped him like she slapped Rukia earlier on.

"Rukia was right about you. I told her she was wrong but she…she was right about everything." Orihime cried, angry and hurt, "And all this time I thought someone actually liked me. And all this time, I truly liked you too." Ichigo's eyes went wide at Orihime's confession, but his heart sank with what she said next.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. I hate you. I never hated anyone like this before but…I HATE YOU!" With that last statement, Orihime ran off as Ichigo stood there dumbfounded. He felt his heart breaking into million pieces, stabbing into him like tiny shards of glass. He couldn't believe how he let his jealousy get ahead of him and managed to get the only girl he truly felt for to hate his guts. He felt depressed, like the life has been sucked out of him. As he continued to stare at the door that Orihime had just fled through, Ichigo could only hang his head in shock and shame, his heart crushed in defeat.


	7. Day Six: Spiking up the jealousy game

**_Hello! I'm BACK! I'm sorry everyone for the delay. I almost had this chapter ready by the fifteenth but I went about an hour over the deadline. That's what happens when you only get about three hours of sleep for five consecutive days. I mean, I am completely half-brain dead, right now. Therefore, this chapter is not the best one out of the bunch. In fact, I think it's my worst one so far. Everyone, just bear with me for about couple more days. _**

**_(I happen to be allergic to caffeine...Life's just not fair!)_**

**_To all my wonderful readers, thank you for all the wonderful support. And I'll get back to all my reviewers once I clear things in my head. This is what sleep deprivation can do. Everyone, try to get at least eight hours of sleep no matter how difficult it is to tear your eyes away from an IchiHime fanfic! I'm such a hypocrite...LOL_**

**_This is the beta-ed version by TheLastGirlOnTheWrite! Thnx!_**

Day Six: Spiking up the jealousy game

Nemu woke up feeling giddy on the inside. As she remembered what happened yesterday, she couldn't help but grin. Sure, Rukia had beaten her, but it's what happened after that had her brimming with joy.

Uryu Ishida had taken care of her.

Never before had anyone been so kind… so _gentle _to her. Uryu told her how his father was a doctor and, although he was unqualified to treat her fully, he could still nurse her injuries. Nemu couldn't help but blush as she thought of Uryu's light touches as he checked her face, her arms, and her legs. She had a slightly twisted ankle and minor cuts down her forearm, but she honestly had never felt better.

After all, she was in love!

Of course that love hadn't been returned yet, but based on Uryu's own timid flush it seemed as though there was some definite potential.

Nel, on the other hand, was more worried about Orihime. The normally happy girl looked different and acted slightly off. She didn't have her usual appetite, she looked a bit absent, and everyone noticed how the shimmering twinkle and deep warmth in her gray eyes were gone.

Ichigo looked indifferent on the outside, but it was just a mask. Inside, he was lost in a hurricane of foreign thoughts and emotions. After all of the tossing and turning he went through last night, constantly being reminded of the flash of hurt that was etched into Orihime's face, he finally decided that enough was enough and mustered the courage to talk to Orihime and apologize.

Ichigo knew had to tell her. It had been less than a day since Orihime said she hated him, but he already knew he couldn't stand this abysmal hollowness that lingered in his heart any longer. He couldn't say that it was love or anything that strong, but he knew that he liked Orihime enough to be unable to stay away from her. She was like a drug that fuelled an addiction he hadn't even known he'd had until he was deprived of it.

Unfortunately, just when Ichigo had managed to gather his courage to approach Orihime the announcement came on.

"Children, what was this commotion, I came across yesterday?" Urahara spoke in a serious manner. Nobody answered him. "…Well, it seems everything we built for the past week disappeared in the blink of an eye. Instead of enjoying yourselves at the party and building more connections with each other, all of you decided…"

"Not all of us. It was a cat fight. None of the guys were in it." Grimmjow said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"As I was saying" Urahara ignored Grimmjow's smartass remark and continued, "all of you decided to take that time for granted. Therefore, today, this will be your assignment. You will make a movie based on _The Taming of the Shrew._ However, there's a catch. You will all reconstruct the piece so that it is in modern day language and you can change the plot as you like. However, it should still follow the basic premise of the story." Urahara cleared his throat before announcing, "I have already assigned the roles for everyone. Go and check inside your desks. There should be a slip of paper with a character name on it. That will be the character you will play."

Everyone gloomily searched inside their desks, each finding a light cherry-blossom envelope.

"It's scented now?" Renji said sceptically as he sniffed the envelope suspiciously. Others shook their heads in disbelief.

"Well, yes. Inspector Yoruichi seems rather fond of roses so I thought she might appreciate this love lette…" Urahara coughed loudly to cover up his slip-up. "I mean, this thank you letter that I wrote for her." He corrected lamely.

Ichigo took great care in squashing the little bubble of excitement that bloomed as he looked at his pink slip, finding the name Lucentio neatly written in the center of the paper. He actually liked this assignment greatly, although no one would ever get him to admit it. Nobody knew his secret passion for Shakespeare. It was his greatest secret, and he was certain that if anybody found out his bad boy title would be thrown out the window and people would realize he was a closet nerd. After getting over his slight disappointment for not getting the lead role he looked around, wondering who would be his Bianca. He hoped Orihime got that role. If she did, it would be the perfect opportunity to ask for forgiveness through the role of the character and still maintain his tough guy image. It was almost like hitting two birds with one stone.

"Why did I get Hortensio? Isn't he a wuss?" Renji grimaced as he read out his role. "Gosh…can we switch?"

"No. However, you can negotiate changes to your character while you make up the script with everyone else," Urahara replied over the PA, "Remember you can alter the plot however you want, except the elements in the original play must still be distinguishable."

"I got Bianca." Orihime muttered. She had been hoping for the lead as well. Katharina was a character Orihime wanted to try out. She had so much fire and oomph, unlike Bianca who seemed flat. However, the news put a smile on Nel's face. She grinned a devilish smirk towards Uryu who nodded comprehending what was going through Nel's minicomputer mind.

"Nel…I don't think that'll work this time." Uryu said. Everyone looked at Uryu and Nel in confusion, not knowing the context of the conversation.

"Actually, this work will be a masterpiece." Nel replied ambiguously. Only Uryu got the gist of what was going on. Before he could say anything back to tell her, Grimmjow interrupted.

"Why the hell did I get the main guy? What the fuck are you playing at, Urahara?" Grimmjow angrily shouted at the PA. "Give this to someone else."

"EW. That's gross. I got Katharina." Nel said with disgust as Grimmjow's frown quickly transformed into a smirk.

"You got Katharina? Forget what I said, Urahara." Grimmjow chuckled.

"Who did you get Uryu?" Nemu asked Uryu as she came up beside him.

"Baptista. What about you?"

"There's nothing written on my slip of paper." Nemu muttered.

"That's because you get to play a special role. You will play a newly invented character. How does Baptista's wife sound to you?" Urahara replied with a slight mocking tone. Nemu almost squealed but she caught herself at the last moment.

"Uhm. Okay." Nemu said instead.

"So any other questions?" Urahara said.

"I don't like this role." Rukia glared at the PA system. "Me, a widow? Do you think this makes any sense?"

"Rukia, you will play that role with distinction. So, if that's all, I'll leave it to you now." Urahara's voice drifted off.

"Okay. So where do we start?" Orihime muttered.

"How about we split up the work. Uryu, Renji, Nemu and I will work on the script. Orihime and Ichigo, you guys plan the costumes and Rukia and Grimmjow, why don't you work out the filming and directing aspect." Nel said cheerfully. Everyone tried protesting unhappy with the work they were assigned with.

"Nel, can't I just work with you guys?" Orihime spoke with a trace of desperation in her voice. Ichigo noticed it and it enraged him. He knew she told him that she hated him and he felt his heart crumble because of it. His jealousy had forced him over the line that he shouldn't have crossed. He was glad when Nel said Orihime should work with him on the costumes, even if he wanted to work on the script, because it gave him the opportunity to apologize! But now it seems that Orihime has managed to even crush that small glimmerof hope.

"Is it because Renji's part of that group?" Ichigo's voice was etched with contempt. Everyone in the room noticed the tension.

"That's the only thing you can come up with?" Anger was slowly building up inside Orihime. "Well, what if it is? What are you gonna do about it?"

At Orihime's hurtful words Ichigo grabbed her shoulder with more force than was necessary, but Renji immediately grabbed Ichigo's elbow. He tried to tell Ichigo to let Orihime go, but the words were cut off when Ichigo punched him in the jaw before turning and storming out of the room, not noticing as Rukia quietly followed him.

"Maybe Orihime should work with us." Uryu finished.

Ichigo was hurt, and he didn't like it. He didn't understand what Orihime saw in Renji. Okay, maybe Renji's a more reasonable boyfriend material. He was the pride of Karakura's football team and he might be the golden boy with his down-to-earth charm and boyish looks but what did Renji have that he, Ichigo, didn't have?

_'Okay, I might have a year's worth of detention __as well as__ a minor run-in with the police and __the __leader of a gang outside the school, but that doesn't mean I can't be boyfriend material, right?'_ Ichigo thought to himself as his anger started to boil over once more. _'What am I thinking? Orihime's not the only girl in the world! Why should I degrade myself for a stupid slut like her?'_

Ichigo mentally screamed. He knew what he was thinking wasn't true but he didn't want to think about reality. Reality was wrong and it hurt. He didn't want to accept the fact that Orihime chose Renji over him. He didn't want to face the fact that he'd had a chance at something special and he'd let his anger and his jealousy screw it up.

"Ichigo? You okay?" Ichigo turned around, momentarily hoping to see Orihime but that hope fell away when he realized that the voice belonged to a raven-haired beauty.

"What do you want?"

"Tsk. I came here to offer you help and that's the reaction I get?"

"What do you mean by help?"

"You like Orihime, don't you?" Rukia's deep midnight gaze pierced Ichigo. He couldn't bear to lie so he looked away.

"That's none of your business."

"Well fine. If you want to lose her to Renji…" That caught Ichigo's attention.

"What's going on between her and…Forget it." Ichigo didn't feel like talking.

"Yesterday, after the bathroom incident, you know, I had a little chat with Renji." Rukia started. "And he told me, he was over me. Orihime helped him get over me. He didn't directly say that he likes Orihime but you don't need to read the script to get the whole message." Rukia's eyes glinted with malice when she saw Ichigo's scowl etch deeper into his face. He didn't say anything for awhile.

"You said that you can help me. How?"

"This is what we gotta do." Rukia smiled.

"Orihime, why don't you go help Grimmjow. It seems like Rukia ran off after Ichigo." Nel said bluntly. This earned her a glare from Uryu, Nemu and Renji.

"Yeah, I'll go help Grimmjow." Orihime ran off to where Grimmjow was near the stage. This was when the others huddled together.

"Nel, there's a specific reason why you asked Renji and me to help you and Uryu with the script." Nemu began.

"Bingo. I mean, did you see that tension between Ichigo and Orihime?" Nel replied. Everyone nodded. "That, my friends, is called sexual tension." Renji looked slightly disturbed.

"Nel, sometimes, I think you've absolutely lost your marbles," Uryu chuckled, "And I hate to say this but I think it's contagious because I agree."

"So…basically, you want us to manipulate the script so that Orihime and Ichigo can relieve their…uh…so called 'sexual tension'?" Nemu grinned.

"Count me out on this." Renji was about to walk away but Nel quickly slung an arm around his shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere, mister because you are the centerpiece in this little scheme."

"What?" Renji yelled.

"Shush, you pineapple." Nel winked. "Renji, since you're playing Hortensio, you're Ichigo's official rival in the story."

"So…?"

"You are so dense. So…you will play that role with distinction!" Nel's grin was just as evil as Rukia's. "We are going to use the jealousy tactic on those two!"

"That's brilliant!" Nemu cheered. Both she and Nel jumped up and down while holding onto each other's hands.

"That's ridiculous!" Uryu and Renji said at the same time.

"Kurosaki's thick skull won't be able to register something as complex as that." Uryu slid his glasses up his nose.

"Uryu, you are denser than Renji. You guys can be dumb and dumber." Nel said. Uryu was instantly offended. "Honestly, did you not see with your own set of four-eyes that Ichigo punched the hell out of Mr. Dumb over here, Mr. Dumber?"

"If I was Mr. Dumber, I wouldn't have four-eyes in the first place." Uryu retaliated.

"Guys, that's not the point, here. We're trying to make Orihime happy again, right? Look at her." Nemu said. Uryu was slightly touched by what Nemu had said.

All five pairs of eyes (in reality it's four but Uryu had two sets), landed on the hunching figure with long amber hair.

"For Orihime." Renji sighed. He could do just about anything to see Orihime smile like she used to.

"For Orihime." Everyone repeated after him.

Meanwhile, Orihime was gloomily thinking about what to do for costumes.

"Will you stop making that face? It's starting to make me feel miserable!" Grimmjow said. "Hey? Are you listening?" Grimmjow waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh?"

"Stop mooching around and make yourself useful. I mean, I'm a guy. I'm not gonna be the one making these costumes or whatever."

"Oh."

"Will you stop that?"

"Hmm?"

"Answering with a one word phrase. It makes it seem like I'm the one doing all the talking. It's supposed to be the girl doing the yapping. Not the other way around."

"Grimmjow, did you ever like someone before?"

"Girls worship the ground I walk on."

"That's not what I asked."

"Well…uh…I do have a crush on someone."

"Really? Did you confess yet?"

"No. I don't think she likes me very much. What if she turns me down?"

"Yeah…I know what you mean. Can you believe I unintentionally confessed to Ichigo and he didn't even bother saying no?"

"You confessed to whom?"

"Uh…Is that a Metallica band shirt you have on?"

"Well yeah. They're the fucking best band."

"I prefer ACDC but Metallica's pretty awesome too."

"Anyways, talking about Kurosaki, look at what we got here." Grimmjow motioned with his head towards the stage door. Orihime's eyes followed the same trail. She felt numb at the sight. Ichigo was walking into the stage, holding hands with…

"Rukia? Ichigo? What are you two doing?" Nel looked like she saw a ghost.

"We're going out with each other." It was Ichigo who answered. Orihime bowed her head down.

"Since when?"Nemu equally scandalized at the sight as Nel, asked.

"Since just now." Ichigo answered back. He pulled Rukia in closer for emphasis.

Nel quickly recovered from her initial shock. She whispered to the others. "I think that love triangle plan just went out the window."

"You know what, it doesn't matter. Look at Orihime." Uryu whispered back. "I wasn't completely convinced even just a minute ago with this ridiculous plan but I changed my mind. We promised to do this for Orihime. If she doesn't end up with Kurosaki, the least she could do is kick his ass."

"I agree." Renji was just as motivated as Uryu.

"It sounds like a plan." Nemu was unable to take her eyes off Uryu. In her eyes, he was practically glowing with white wings sprouting from his back as a faint presence of heavenly music played in the background.

"Fine, we're starting on the script right away!" Nel said. Her mischievous grin was back.

After what seemed like hours, the group finally presented the newly made script to the others. Everyone quickly scanned their lines. With every line read, Ichigo's frown went deeper and deeper until even his skull could trace the outlines of it.

"Why is Bianca getting more screen time with Hortensio? What's all this nonsense? In the play, she ended up with Lucentio, not Hortensio!" Ichigo angrily remarked.

"Well, Urahara did state that we could alter the story as we like." Uryu replied.

"Yeah, he also said something about not changing the basic elements." Ichigo replied more forcefully.

"Well, we decided the main elements in the plot concerns Katharina and Petruchio. Also, why are you so upset, Kurosaki? You get to end up with the widow. I mean, isn't Rukia your girlfriend, now?" Uryu replied with just as much force.

"That has nothing to do with the story!" Ichigo's voice started to get louder.

"Fine, than let's ask the others. Orihime and Renji, do you have a problem with the script?" Renji quickly answered 'no' at Uryu's remark. Orihime hesitated but then she saw Ichigo frown at Rukia.

"No problem with me." Orihime said.

"There's a kissing scene between Hortensio and Bianca! What _is_ this? I thought the focus was going to be on Katharina and Petruchio!" Ichigo curled his fist.

"Well, you're awfully concerned about Hortensio and Bianca. Perhaps, a bit too much?" Nel winked at Ichigo.

"Shut the fuck up!" Ichigo yelled, his temper finally getting the better of him. He groaned inwardly as his mind seethed. He couldn't understand how his plan with Rukia could backfire on him like this…

* * *

Yes...if you figured it out by now, the boyfriend-girlfriend thing is a sham. *whispers* it's RUkia's idea. You'll learn more in the next chapter so stay tuned! Once again,

Love you all,  
AZLCIKOI


	8. Day Seven: I do love thee

**_Finally back! Okay, I think I made progress. In fact, I am happy. No I am ECSTATIC! I don't mean to sound annoying but I think this chapter is real good. In fact, it's my best up-to-date! Happy reading hopefully! Again, a wonderful thanks to all my wonderful readers and an extra cherry on top for all wonderful reviewers! If it weren't for you guys, I might have dropped this story after the previous disasterous chapter. It was really unmotivating and I was just depressed._**

**_thecrimson333: Sorry but not in this chapter XD. Ichigo needs some loving in this chapter. Maybe in a future story! LOl_**

**_anubislover: THanks!_**

**_mosspaw: Hope you like this chapter. Read on and you'll see. However, I didn't add you the way you probably wanted-that is to kill Rukia. Hope you still like it!_**

**_GoodLuckMotherFuckers: Awww...I lurve Renji but I ship IchiHime...I can't think about writing a story, pairing Ichigo and Orihime with other characters for a final pairing. Maybe as a temporary thing but not as a final thing...I'm rambling._**

**_lydia: Ichigo's back in the game in this chapter! WOO HOO_**

**_UnDeadNinjaArrow: Aww...THANKS! THe only thing is, I happen to be a dudette. LOL_**

**_yoyogigi125: New chapter it is! I won't be updating daily for awhile. I have a finals coming up at school and I have about three essays due this week. Updates will be definitly more consistent now that I'm out of my hiatus but it will be slower than before._**

**_Maegan205: Ichihime will definitely get more screentime now that Ichigo's back in the game! _**

**_Shinigami School Girl: Thanx! Glad you like this!_**

**_Fostersb: Grimmy's getting the groove on with Nellie now. Haha...Nel will come to love him when she learns his little secret. But that's in another chapter. _**

**_Bleachbunny3: Renji loves Orihime but he can't bear to tell Orihime, since he knows how much Orihime likes Ichigo. I know, tragic._**

**_nypsy: Rukia's actually a pretty tragic character. I know she's a real bitch but that was really a defence mechanism stuff...I know this wasn't what I was saying before but in truth, I still think she's a sad character. She really likes Ichigo and because she feels threatened, she decided to kill before she gets killed. Her interaction with everyone else, is like that because she feels a complex and she rather hurt than get hurt. Still this doesn't mean I gave up Rukia bashing forever. Until IchiRuki's leave Ichihime alone, it's a fair game! Renji, on the other hand, actually loves Orihime now. But he wants Orihime to take a chance with her love. Ichigo truly loves Orihime but he just can't stand the idea of her not returning his love. Hence, instead of being the rejected, he wants to be the rejector. Wah...this is getting out of control! Thanx for reviewing!_**

**_Somerlia: WHo cares about the plans when you have true love! In the end, it worked out for better even if it would have been much simpler to just tell the other how much they love each other. But if that happened, we wouldn't have a story, now would we? Gosh, excuse me! I'm rambling...XD I'm glad you still like it! Honestly, if it weren't for all these wonderful supporters, I might have gave up after the previous chapter! I was beyond depressed every time I read it! Thanx so much for all your support! You even review every chapter and I greatly appreciate that!_**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: What's funny is that the jealousy plan between Renji and Orihime works out but the other one just falls flat!_**

**_Zidane87: LOL._**

**_lunarstar77: Thanx! I'm glad it was to your liking!_**

Day Seven: I do love thee...

Ichigo didn't like this one bit. He couldn't take his eyes off Orihime…and Renji

"Hortensio, why do you love me?"

"It is because…it is you. I can't come to think about loving another besides you." Renji replied. That immediately brought Ichigo's gag reflex to take action. He couldn't believe how messed up things were becoming. When Rukia suggested him the idea of using jealousy to win Orihime's love, he thought it would work. How wrong he was.

On the other hand, Grimmjow and Nel were fabulous. The manhandling on Grimmjow's part brought Petruchio's character to reality. Nel's flirty and spicy personality also brought inevitable chemistry between the two leads. They were fabulous! However, everyone couldn't help but wonder if these two would be any different in real life.

"Asses are made to bear and so are you!"

"Well, FYI, women are made to bear and so are you."

"Shut up, you pervert."

"You know you want me…soooo bad." Grimmjow smirked. Nel punched him. REAL HARD.

"Cut" Uryu said.

"Do you even look at yourself in a mirror?" Nel continued.

"Guys, I said cut!" Uryu yelled at the two.

"Uh…no. I already know what I look like. " At Grimmjow's blunt reply, everyone broke out in laughter.

"You guys should go to Hollywood. You guys can make it big." Nemu remarked smiling. Even Uryu nodded. Grimmjow smirked and casually hung an arm around Nel. Nel sweetly smiled before kneeing Grimmjow, where it really hurts.

"Do that again and I'll permanently disable your baby factory!" Nel glared at Grimmjow who was cradling himself down on the ground.

"Uh…Nel, I think you already did." Uryu pointed out.

"Oh…well, that was just the appetizer." Nel winked while Orihime and Renji helped Grimmjow up.

"You okay there." Renji asked. Grimmjow managed to squeeze out a no. Renji accidentally stumbled and both Grimmjow and he went tumbling down. Orihime couldn't help but giggle. Soon her shy giggle turned into a laugh. She was clutching to her sides.

"R…Renji…Hahaha…your…face." Everyone was in a daze. That was the first time they heard Orihime laugh since yesterday.

"Hime, that's not nice. You shouldn't laugh at my face." Renji was secretly pleased that it was him who brought laughter back into Orihime. However, Ichigo was not as pleased. He was, in fact, beyond upset. He was downright furious. 'Hime?' He thought. They were already giving nicknames to each other.

"Okay, we're almost done. We just need to film the kissing scene between Renji and Orihime." Uryu reminded everyone.

"Were you guys saving the best for last?" Rukia smiled. It was a genuine smile. Since the longest time, this was the first time Rukia actually felt. She felt content and…happy. All through her life high school life, she was called many spiteful things. Ungrateful bitch, spoiled bitch, bitch this, bitch that. However, she didn't care. At first, Rukia was a kind-hearted girl. She wasn't always this spiteful. She knew she was better off than others and she was grateful for having a family who loved her. However, when they passed away, her brother took care of her. The problem was, because their parents died, her brother inherited the business and he became so absorbed in his work, he began to neglect Rukia. Rukia, as time went on, grew lonely. She tried to make friends at school, but most of the girls she met, only liked her for her background. Then one day, she met Ichigo when she finally became a sophomore at Karakura High School. She was attracted to his nonchalant personality. What really made her fall hard for Ichigo was the fact that he treated her no more differently than others. Now she was Ichigo's girlfriend even though, it was a temporary illusion. She couldn't help herself from feeling ecstatic even if she was taking advantage of Ichigo and even if he didn't love her back.

"Renji, Orihime, when you're ready." Uryu directed.

"Hortensio, this is the last time I could meet you as a free woman. Tomorrow, I will become another man's woman."

"Bianca, I can't let you go. Please, don't go."

"Good bye, Hortensio."

"Wait." Renji was slightly bending forward to seal Orihime a final goodbye kiss. Orihime closed her eyes. Before Renji's lips could touch Orihime's, Ichigo punched Renji.

"Get away from her." Ichigo yelled. Renji punched Ichigo back.

"I see no reason why I should. What's Bianca to you?" Renji grabbed Ichigo's collar.

"What's Bianca to you, then?"

"…"

"…"

"Uh…Uryu, I don't think that was part of the script." Nemu commented.

"No, Nemu. That was the real thing." Uryu replied.

"Well, at least they're clever enough to substitute Bianca for Orihime. Orihime has no idea this is the real thing. Good thing too." Nel added.

"Did you get this all on film? We should send this to AFV, because this is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Look at those two." Grimmjow laughed while casually bringing his arm around Nel once more.

"Get your mossy paws away before I smack you."

"Mossy paws? Or you mean mosspaw?"

"What's a mosspaw?"

"A sexy MEOWER!" This earned Grimmjow a well-earned smack. Everyone's attention focused back to the scene ravelling in front of them.

Before Ichigo could reply, he caught Orihime's gaze. Both he and Orihime, didn't pull away from the intense connection.

"She means…everything to me." Ichigo replied quietly without tearing his eyes off Orihime. He pushed Renji away and quickly walked off the stage. He broke into a run. He clenched his heart. It was hurting.

"Uh…cut?" Uryu finished. "That's a wrap, everyone."

"What about the kiss?" Orihime muttered.

"Trust me, Orihime. That was definitely juicier. Two hot bods fighting over you!" Nel lightly punched Orihime in the shoulder. Orihime returned a weak smile. When Ichigo captured her gaze, she couldn't help feeling the plain truth behind his words. Even if he said Bianca, she couldn't help but hope that he was talking about her. She was so lost in her thoughts; she didn't notice Renji behind her. He whispered into her ears.

"Go to him, Orihime. He meant every bit of it." Renji smiled, masking his true feelings. He didn't want to let Orihime go. He didn't want to push her away from him, but when Ichigo muttered those words to him, Renji knew. Orihime and Ichigo were meant to be together. Orihime finally broke into a run.

"Ichigo!" Orihime shouted. She couldn't see him but she knew where he was. She knew. She found herself running towards the music room. She heard a beautiful yet lamenting melody. She opened the door and let herself inside.

"Why Chopin?" She whispered to herself but Ichigo heard her soft voice.

"Because it's the only thing I could think about." Ichigo replied after striking the last chord.

"Why is it the only thing you can think about?" Orihime quietly asked in return.

"Because all I can think about is you."

"Why am I the only thing you can think about?"

"Because I…I do…love thee. And when I love thee not Chaos is come again." A single tear dribbled down Orihime's rosy blush.

"I…Ichigo. Why are you telling this to me now."

"Because…then, if for my love, thou my love receivest, I cannot blame thee, for my love thou usest."

"Stop that!" Orihime screamed. "You don't understand, do you? It's not Renji I love! It's you! It was always you! But I thought you didn't like me back. They do not love that do not show their love." Ichigo couldn't stand it any longer. He pushed Orihime into a wall and he kissed her hard. Her lips were warm and they tasted like strawberries. Orihime gasped. Ichigo took this moment to deepen the kiss. Orihime melted into his hold and closed her eyes enjoying what they should have done long before.

From afar, silent crying could be heard. But the two lovers were so engulfed into each other to care.

A heart was crushed beyond repair.

* * *

**Lots of reference to Shakespeare, neh?**

**The first quote Ichigo said was from Othello. It means something like I love you and when I don't love you, we turn back to the time of chaos...something like that.**

**The next quote he uses is from a sonnet. It means even if you love someone else, I don't blame you, because you are using my love. I know...Isnt Ichigo just romantic *sigh***

**The quote Orihime said was from Two Gentlemen from Verona and basically it's like show your love through your actions. And Ichigo took that to heart! LOL.**

**I love Ichigo in this chapter... He finally broke out of his shell too. As for Renji, do I need to say anything? He's a real gentleman. Too bad he doesn't exist in the real world. **

**Guess who was crying at the end...**

**O...And I made up a deviantart account. I just need to start uploading stuff. I still don't really understand how to scan...but I'll deal one problemo at a time, neh? **

**Anyways, love you all,  
AZLCIKOI**


	9. Day Eight: A secret leaked to the enemy

**_Thank you everyone for all your reviews and support. I'll get back to all of you in the next chapter or I'll just PM you if you have a signed review. I just wanted to squeeze in a quick update when I have time. Time's really tight for me, this week. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter! There isn't much Ichihime but this is the start of NelGrimm development. Also when you have time, please check out Hime Stayed Out All Night. It's about Orihime in two arranged marriages. One marriage is with the indie rock band singer, Ichigo Kurosaki and the other with a cold, charismatic business leader, Byakuya Kuchiki._**

**_Anyways, love you all and I'll definitely get back to everyone ASAP!_**

Day Eight: A secret leaked to the enemy

Ichigo couldn't help himself from sneaking glances at Orihime. They smiled. Yesterday, after their kiss, he finally confessed to Orihime, how much he likes her. He also told Orihime about his relationship with Rukia. She actually laughed at him when he told her he wanted to make her jealous. Before Ichigo could smile like a goofball, the announcement came back on.

"Children, the video was wonderful. Today's assignment will take place in the kitchen. You will have a cooking competition and you will be working in pairs. For today, you get to choose your own partner." Everyone was excited after hearing the last part. Immediately, Ichigo walked over to where Orihime was but unfortunately for him, Orihime already partnered herself with Nel.

"Back off, Kurosaki. This girl's mine today." Nel smirked.

"Look, if you think for a moment, I'm gonna let you have your way with my girl…" Silence was heard across the room. "I…" Ichigo stopped himself when everyone was giving him raised brows. "…think I should let Orihime decide." He finished.

"Nel, I already have a great idea!" Orihime addressed towards the lime green haired girl beside her. Ichigo let out a groan in annoyance.

To everyone's surprise, Rukia paired up with Grimmjow. Since Nemu and Uryu were together, Renji and Ichigo partnered up.

"Okay let's head towards the kitchen." Nel excitedly let out.

* * *

When everyone was at the kitchen, there were all kinds of food staring back at them. The announcement came back on again.

"The criterion is creativity. Show me a dish where it contains yourselves and something we never seen before." Urahara stated. Nel and Orihime gave each other a high-five. This criterion was a piece of cake for them.

They all immediately got to work. Orihime and Nel, loving sweet tasting food, decided to make a dessert. Orihime loving the taste of strawberries and cheese together, decided to use strawberry flavoured cream cheese. Nel who loved avocado and chocolate decided to make the icing. They were going to make a strawberry cheesecake a la chocolate avocado.

Nemu and Uryu had a less imaginative idea. Uryu,who had a passion for designing, decided to build a sculpture using the food. Because Nemu loved ice cream, they decided to use ice cream to sculpt renaissance statues.

Ichigo and Renji were having a harder time. Both boys had no experience with cooking. Since Renji and Ichigo liked soccer and football, they decided to make a quick healthy snack. They still had a hard time.

Grimmjow and Rukia were just as bad. Grimmjow was used to having his mom cook fabulous meals for him, had absolutely zero experience with a spatula. Rukia, who was also raised without having to cook for herself, had no idea what to do. Instead, she used this time to get revenge on Ichigo and Orihime.

"Grimmjow, I need to ask you for a favour."

"Why?"

"You seem like the only who could pull it off."

"Well, I certainly won't do it for free."

"You know that I drive a Maserati. I'll give it to you." Rukia smiled. Who could say no to a Maserati? Grimmjow's eyes went wide.

"Fine. We got ourselves a deal. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to take Orihime's virginity." Rukia said, not quite so loud for everyone to hear over the noise but with enough force for Grimmjow to hear it clearly.

"What?" Grimmjow was beyond shocked. He didn't know what to say. Instead he excused himself to go to the washroom. As soon as he was out of kitchen, he slapped himself. What did he get himself into? Before he could inflict any more self-damage, he felt a punch on his arm. It was Nel.

And she looked mad.

"What was that fucking for?" Grimmjow yelled.

"I happened to overhear your little conversation with that midget bitch."

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you can say?" Nel aimed for another punch but this time Grimmjow grabbed her hand.

"It ain't gonna happen, ya hear me?"

"How can I trust you?"

"I…Look…I…"

"Forget it." Nel cut across him. "I don't need an excuse because I'm gonna castrate you anyways."

"I'M A VIRGIN, OKAY?" Grimmjow shouted. "Is that a good enough reason for you to trust me?" Nel's eyes stretched across a mile. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Wh…what?" She said when she finally gained her voice. "But you always sounded like you were getting some all the time."

"That was all a show, okay? I…didn't want anyone knowing I was still a fucking virgin. I mean, it's a fucking personal thing." Grimmjow kept cursing. "I…I wanted to lose my virginity to a girl I love unlike my dad, who clearly fucked everything with a skirt. I never told anyone but Tia's not really my mom. I don't even know who my true mother is. All I know is I was illegitimate until Tia took me in. Pathetic, I know, but I don't want to turn out like my dad, even if that wasn't what I was showing." To Grimmjow's surprise, Nel pulled him into a hug.

"That's not pathetic, at all. I think that's sweet and beautiful." She giggled. However, she tasted a slight bit of bitterness when she said the next words. "So…who's this lucky girl you like?"

"I…I…" Grimmjow stuttered. He didn't want to confess to Nel already for the fear of getting rejected. To his relief, Orihime interrupted them.

"Nel, the batter's ready!" When Orihime realized how close Nel and Grimmjow were, she blushed ashamedly. "Oh…I'm so sorry. I'll let you two get back to whatever you were doing. Sorry."

"N…no. O…Orihime. It's not what it looks like." Nel blushed unlike usual self. When Orihime left the two alone, Nel finally remembering the point of her conversation with Grimmjow, jumped back into the main reason.

"So…what are you going to do about Rukia?"

"I guess, I'll just tell her ta leave me alone."

"Why not tell me now?" They heard another voice. It was Rukia. She was smiling. "Who would have thought you were a…virgin?" Rukia stressed out the last word to emphasize it. "I guess it's only a matter of time, others will find out." She threatened.

"Shut the hell up, you slut." Nel yelled.

"Also, Nel, didn't you fuck the homeroom teacher to stay on the cheer squad when you failed English?" Rukia grinned.

"How…how did you find that out?" Nel gasped. To answer Nel's question, Rukia held out a piece of pink paper.

"You shouldn't have left this lying around, Nel." Rukia sneered with joy lacing in her voice. "So, what's it gonna be? Do you wanna save yourselves or save…Orihime? Someone who you didn't know the existence of until last week."

All Nel and Grimmjow could do was hang their heads in shame.

* * *

The cooking competition results were out at the end of the day. Orihime and Nel were selected as the winners. Orihime was exhilarated; however, Nel wasn't as overjoyed. She was in an internal turmoil. She couldn't bear to put Orihime in danger, but, she didn't want to sacrifice her secret, which was something she always wanted to hide. Nel just couldn't look Orihime in the eye. She gave Orihime a fake smile when Orihime gave her a hug. Instead she looked over to where Grimmjow was. Aside from Rukia, he was the only other person, who knew her dirty secret. She felt a tint rising in her cheeks. She felt dirty and worthless. She couldn't believe Grimmjow was such a pure being. She thought he was someone she could be with because she thought he was just as dirty as her. Now, Nel felt her world crashing down on her.

End of day eight.


	10. Day Nine: The taste of medicine

**_Sorry everyone for the long delay! I was a busy bee for the past week, dealing with three essays and on top of that other committments. Anyways...once again, thanks to all my wonderful readers and reviewers! Just a little comment. THis is not a long chapter. THe next two won't be that long either but after that, I think I'll be able to hit the high notes(Do re mi fa sol la ti...*coughs* DOOOOOO!) The next section is my reply to all reviewers and if you reviewed both chapter 8 and 9, I made it into one reply._**

**_If you just want to read the next chapter, skip right on to where the line is._**

**_nypsy: I totally understand your sentiment about Rukia being Aizen in drag (love the expression, btw) and I'm not trying to defend her character or anything but, love tends to make you blind. However, true love is when you want the person you love to be happy. Rukia loves Ichigo but it is nowhere near true. I just wanted to show that side of Rukia. How she's blindly in love enough to tear Orihime and Ichigo apart but how her love isn't strong enough to think about Ichigo's happiness first. Complex, I know._**

**_Fostersb: Rukia deserves to live alone for the rest of her life (even without the accompaniment of nine cats-even that's a luxury for someone like her) but maybe I'll do that in another story!_**

**_Somerlia: At first, I had something else in mind for Grimmjow's secret but at the last minute I scrubbed it out and decided to make him into a virgin. Originally, I was going to make his secret being he was secretly in love with Renji (please don't ask me how I managed to think up something like that-even I can't understand myself sometimes) just to throw in a wild card but at the last minute I couldn't bring myself to make Grimmjow a homosexual. That would be too cruel to the female population._**

**_yoyogigi125: I 'heart' you too for reading my story and being a supportive reader! It really makes my day look brighter! Thanks!_**

**_WestAnimeBrigade: Yes, that was the sound of Rukia Kuchiki's heart being shattered into shards. Music to my ears at this rate! Anyways, about Nel and Grimmjow finding out about Rukia's secret, ya got it! Keep on reading to find out. Honestly, it's not really a secret to the readers but to the other characters in this story, besides Nemu and Renji, no one knows about Rukia liking Ichigo._**

**_Zidane87: Nel is kind of slutty in a way but that's a part of who she is. She can't help it if she oozes sensuality without meaning to. Of course, her personality does play a part. The only reason why I did this transversal is because usually all the GrimmNel relation story shows Grimmy being the player and Nel being the submissive partner, so I decided to make it fair and give Nel the upper hand for a change. _**

**_mosspaw: hahaha...Really? I didn't know mosspaw meant a smex meower. I just kinda connected paw with a cat's paw and kinda ran away with that idea! I'm glad you liked it! I was kinda worried if I was going to offend you. Anyways, about Grim's virginity, I know there's nothing to be ashamed of but it's just that something bothersome called ego, that turns Grimmjow that way. Haha, guess wat? Not only am I a virgin but I still didn't have my first kiss. It's something I'm going to save until I find someone I truly want to live my whole life with. (I'm a hopeless romantic)_**

**_Cehmacc14: I originally, didn't want to make Grimmjow a virgin. I thought it would go way against his character. The only problem was my original idea was to make Grimmjow in love with Renji. (I know, wierd. The wierder thing is Yaio or is it Yaoi? makes me feel uncomfortable-I have nothing against homosexuality but it's just something I'm not familiar with and it's just awkward) which led me to this ultimate decision of making Grimmy into a virgin!_**

**_Simply-Ai: Thank you so much! I'm glad my this story is to your liking. Hope it stays that way!_**

**_sashikibuta: Aw, sowie. Long chapters for me, at the moment, is a bit of a stretch. I need to let my muscles get used to writing for a bit before going on with lengthier chapters. Well, I wanna thank you for reading my story!_**

**_Marvolo-san: It's okay. You guys aren't obligated to review. That's a special treat to the authors, so no need to feel sorry!_**

**_XxLonexLovexX: Like what I said to Marvolo-san. It's good enough for me to have readers who enjoy my story and having them tell me that they appreciate my story is a bonus. So no need to apologize for not reviewing. I'm happy enough that people bother to check my story!_**

**_A: I'm glad you like my writing! Thanks for your review :)_**

**_Paeonin: Yes that was Rukia at the end. I really want to thank you for your kind words. I'm really glad that's how you feel about my story. Honestly Chapter Seven was a wreck for me because I had other things going in my head and I just couldn't think straight. I was completely lost and every time I reread what I wrote, I felt like screaming. I guess that's what happens when you stay up the whole night without any coffee. (High-intensity drama)! Now that I'm over that phase, I won't abandon this story. Besides it's already day nine. There's only five more days to go!_**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: I "heart" RenRen too. I wanna wrap him up and cuddle him like a teddy bear-I'm starting to ramble, sowie! The thing about Ichigo doing the corrupting, I'm not skilled enough to write lemons. I tried once in another story called 'Promiscuity' but it just was...bland. Maybe some day. Or maybe I should just do what I did in Hime Stayed Out All Night!_**

**_Teruhime: Rukia's helping Ichigo solely for the fact that she could perhaps gain Ichigo's attention on her during this 'so-called' relationship. The only problem is, Ichigo's way too in love with Orihime to notice her. Take that, RUkia!_**

**_bleachbunny3: Will do!_**

**_SailorMeowMeow: Woah! That's a handful of reviews! Thanks so much for reading this story!_**

**_Psycosocial: I actually didn't see that one coming either. I just wrote the first thing that came to my mind and voila, that's the final result! Originally I wanted Grimmjow to be secretly in love with Renji...please don't ask me why I thought of something like that._**

**_anubislover: I don't really hate Rukia. I know I'm going around in circles but it's impossible to hate a 'paper' character. I just don't appreciate other people attacking my views and opinions. If I like Ichihime, let me like it in peace. Anyways, thanks for reviewing!_**

**_T-Biggz: The annoying one will perish in the hot sands of the dusty stormy Sahara Desert by the way of most painful way of torture along with the...gosh, what am I doing? By the annoying one, you mean Rukia? Because, that's what she deserves for trying to hurt Hime._**

**_lunarstar77: Yuppers, Rukia needs to open her eyes. She's just ignorant. If she realized that there was someone (handsome and kind like Renji) beside her to help her, maybe she wouldn't be so...evil. A previous reviewer called her "Aizen in drag". LOL_**

**_Mia Jones: When someone's in love, they are able to see past the flaws of the one they are in love with. I don't know much about Romance personally, and you guys can call me naive and idealistic but that's what I want to believe in about love._**

**_willi890: Must...stop...willi...from...killing...Rukia...until...I...kill...her...off...first. LOL, sowie, I just couldn't resist._**

**_Mochilicious: I'm glad you like my story despite being a Rukia fan. When I first started this fic, I thought I was gonna be done for because of the IchiRuki/Rukia fans but I still didn't get a flame! (not that I'm complaining, of course) I'm not a Rukia hater, so please don't get me wrong. I think it's pretty immature to hate a fictional character. However, in this story, it's hard to not get carried away. I'm a pretty emotional person and I can't help but disliking the Rukia I made._**

**_BleachBoys95: Don't worry about long reviews! I ADORE long reviews, just for future reference (no pressure ;)) Anyways, about Nel being a physics wiz but failing english, I happen to be kind of like that. Despite getting 98% in Biology and 95% in Chemistry, I still managed to get only a 74% in Physics. I don't know why, but everyone's like that. They all have their fortes and...not-so-fortes. Nel's kinda like that. She understands Quantum Mechanics and what-not but the literature world is all just a intangible dream._**

**_RabbitBleachFan: yuppers, Grimmy is definitely pervy. Lol, but I wouldn't mind him being pervy if he's a cuddly teddy bear like he is in this story._**

**_FullmetalGary: You guys are just too generous. I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter._**

**_Maegan205: Will try to update ASAP. At the moment, I'm working on the next installment of 'Hime Stayed Out All Night'._**

**_himelove22: Awwww, another generous reader. I'm definitely not complaining...but I'm definitely flattered!_**

**_

* * *

_**

Day Nine: The taste of medicine

Nel was tossing and turning in her sleep. Her conscience won't let her rest until she figured out a solution. Nel couldn't believe how she was so stupid to leave her deepest and darkest secret lying around like that. The dirty act was done when Nel was promoted to cheer captain. However, her failing mark in English Literature affected her cheerleading tremendously. Nel, who was a physics wiz, just couldn't grasp the beauty of language molded into an imaginative tale. Her mind was calculative and far too mechanical to process something ambiguous as literature. Therefore, she failed to write a convincing essay for her English class.

"Children, the food was wonderful yesterday. Congratulations to Nel and Orihime for their winning concoction of avocado-chocolate icing on strawberry cream cheesecake. It was delightful treat!" Orihime did a little cheer when she heard her name on the announcement. "For the next assignment, we will actually do something different." Urahara cheerfully stated. The cheerfulness didn't quite reach the eight tired students who were encircling the PA system. "We will do a dance competition!" Nel's cloudy atmosphere dissipated the moment she heard the word 'dance'. Everyone else groaned.

"As long as there's no ballet, I'll be fine." Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "I'm wearing no fucking tights, Urahara! Ya hear me, ya creep?"

"Actually, Grimmjow, ballerina's also wear tutus. Nice big frilly pink tutus. I honestly think it'll go well with the colour of your hair." Urahara grinned at his own remark.

"So since it's a dance competition, we will be dancing in…PARTNERS." Urahara's voiced was laced with uttermost excitement. "Orihime and Grimmjow will dance the rhumba, Nel and Renji will take on hip hop, Ichigo and Nemu will do tap-dancing and Rukia and Uryu will dance ballet. You guys have all of today to come up with the choreography and tomorrow to practice the choreography of your dance and the day after that for the competition!"

The room fell apart under chaos. Everyone was all shouting at once.

"Ya creeping pervert! I said nothing tight!" Grimmjow growled.

"Hip hop? Are you mental?" Nel screamed. Nel, secretly, wanted to dance the rhumba with Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow, if anyone should be angry, that person should be me. I'm the one who's got to worry about the tights." Uryu tried with difficulty to hide the frustration and contempt in his voice.

"Urahara, if you think I'll enter a tap dancing competition, you belong in a mental hospital or at the very least, a zoo." Ichigo threatened.

The only person who remained calm was Orihime. She had a cute childish smile on her face.

"Actually, Ichigo, I think tap dancing is really sensual. The way the foot connects with the floor, striking a distinct rhythm is very beautiful." Orihime innocently said to Ichigo. Ichigo upon hearing Orihime's hopeful voice couldn't contain his smile.

"Oh dear, Kurosaki's been pussy whipped." Grimmjow laughed out loud. Nel smacked him on the head. Grimmjow pouted but didn't say anything back when he saw the angry look on Nel's pale complexion.

"What are you gonna do? You should be worrying about yourself! You just got Orihime as your partner!" Nel whispered fiercely.

"I…I…don't kn…hey! I got an idea!" Grimmjow's face lit up with sudden inspiration. He fervently whispered into Nel's ears. "Why don't we find Rukia's weakness? You know? The hunted become the hunters! We can use it against Rukia!"

"Grimmjow, are you mentally unstable? You honestly think a midget bitch queen like Rukia will leave something like that lying around?" Nel rolled her eyes.

"You never know…even midget bitch queens can make mistakes." Grimmjow replied. "Well, whatever we do, we better think fast because I'm not doing anything as hideous as rape. Especially to a kid like Orihime." Nel felt a fuzzy feeling spreading through her body at Grimmjow's rough and edgy but kind words.

"I know. That'll be the last thing in the world we'll do. I'm not gonna let Rukia get away with thinking up something as horrendous as that."

When everyone went to the gymnasium, they discovered several DVDs and cassettes that involve the type of dancing that were assigned to them.

"Look at the assortment of music we have!" Nemu smiled. Everyone lunged forward towards the stack of CDs in front of the lot. There was CDs by the Beatles, Bittersweet, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and many more. Orihime picked up a CD that read 'Untold Love' by Dancelife.

"I love this song!" Orihime said. She immediately reached over to where Grimmjow was and pushed the CD in front of his face. Ichigo grimaced. He didn't like the idea of Orihime dancing to an intimate sort of music with Grimmjow. He tried to distract the thought of Orihime dressed in a tight sparkly chiffon dress showing off her creamy legs.

"Nemu, what do you think about Oscar Peterson?" Ichigo showed Nemu a CD with a picture of Oscar Peterson on the cover.

"Sure, why not." Nemu replied. Nemu was rather distracted by the mental image of Uryu in a white tight that shows off every inch of his...underbody. She was indeed curious about a certain body part.

On the other corner, Rukia and Uryu were in a heated debate as to which piece of music they were going to dance to. Rukia wanted Mahler's Symphony no. 5 and Uryu wanted the Nutcracker Flower Waltz by Tchaikovsky.

"You have absolutely no sense for finesse and aristocracy." Rukia screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Well, just because you're tone deaf, that doesn't mean you have to make me one as well." Uryu replied coolly.

Things were definitely better between Renji and Nel. They already picked out a piece of music and they started working on the choreography. Nel, remembering how Renji was close to Rukia ever since they were little, decided to use this chance to pry into Rukia's darkest secrets.

"Renji, tell me about Rukia." Nel asked carefully masking the maliciousness in her voice.

"Uh…She's cranky most of the time?" Renji shrugged. "I don't really like talking about Rukia. She's actually a sad being. Depressing, actually." At this comment, Nel felt a sudden surge of excitement coursing through her veins. "You know Rukia really loves Ichigo, don't you?" Nel's eyes finally sparkled. Her mind was connecting all the pieces together and she finally understood Rukia's hostility towards Orihime. However, even if love can make people blind, Rukia's plan was unforgivable. Nel's eyes flashed anger at the thought of Rukia's proposal.

"That's all? That's what you call sad? She was practically born with a silver spoon in her mouth! You can't have everything in life! There's a reason why something called justice, exists…" Nel replied hastily. Her mind was still processing how to use this information to give Rukia a taste of her very own medicine.

"Anyways, what do you think about this move?" Renji interrupted Nel's train of thoughts. He showed her a intense move which involved a backflip.

"Where did you get moves like that? You should join the cheer team! We could use…" Nel was interrupted with Renji's snort.

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence." Renji gave her the don't-go-there look.

In the meanwhile, Orihime and Grimmjow were actually having lots of fun. Ichigo on the other hand, was trying to distract himself from all the touching and grabbing going on between Grimmjow and Orihime but nothing worked. His face was getting redder and redder from the stress and anxiety he was feeling. However, it was not only stress and anxiety making Ichigo redder than Renji's ruby hair. He couldn't help himself from feeling aroused by the sensuality and femininity in Orihime's movement. Her graceful legs sliding across the glistening floor and her hips were lightly swirling to the soft delicate rhythm of the music. When Ichigo noticed Grimmjow's hand travelling a little bit farther down Orihime's back, he tensed up. He was about to go and give Grimmjow a piece of his mind (or rather fist) but he accidentally tripped over his untied tap-dance shoes and went tumbling into the ground. This did the trick for him. Orihime who was nearby, immediately came over to Ichigo's aid, leaving Grimmjow behind. She was covered in sweat.

"Ichigo! Are you okay?" Orihime helped Ichigo up. Ichigo used this chance to show Grimmjow, who Orihime belonged to. He marked her. Right on the neck. A moan emitted out of Orihime's mouth. Orihime blushed heavily. She couldn't believe she just made a noise like that in front of others. She was beyond mortified. Ichigo on the other hand smirked at his little revenge on Orihime. He pulled her in for another kiss, but this time he aimed for Orihime's pink delicate lips.

"Ew, Kurosaki, if you want to do something rated R, at least try to be decent and get yourself a room!" Nemu frowned. "If we wanted to watch something nasty, all we had to do was invade into Grimmjow's private video storage."

"You, back off from Grimmjow!" Nel shouted at Nemu. Everyone gave Nel a questioning glance, wondering why Nel was all of a sudden so protective of Grimmjow.

"Uh…Nel, can I see you for a moment, while Orihime and Ichigo use this time to make babies?" Grimmjow teased Ichigo and without meaning to, Orihime.

"We weren't making babies! I was only marking her to show you who she belongs to!" ichigo shouted mindlessly. Orihime slightly punched Ichigo in the arm.

"Ichigo, I'm not an object!" Orihime frowned.

"I…sorry Orihime. I just…you see…I." Ichigo closed his mouth, stupidly.

"Definitely pussy whipped." Nemu whispered to herself.

"Orihime, just don't do so much touching with another guy right in front of your boyfriend. I hardly can't contain myself from beating Grimmjow into a meat pulp just for looking anywhere other than your face but to have him groping you, I…" Ichigo was interrupted when Orihime placed a light kiss on his lips.

"Good to hear Grimmjow and I are convincing rhumba dancers. Just in case you forgot, you're supposed to grope your partner when you're dancing rhumba." Orihime smiled.

"Maybe we should try some rhumba moves before Nel and Grimmjow come back." Ichigo mirrored Orihime's look but Nemu pinched him out of his reverie.

"You can grope Orihime after the competition!" Nemu winked at Orihime before pulling Ichigo by his ears. Orihime smiled and returned to practicing her swirling movements.

End of Day Nine

* * *

Another shorter chapter. The next two will also be pretty short but please, bear with me. The last three or maybe four will be lengthy for sure! Come to think of it, there's only five more days left...and maybe an epilogue!

Love y'all  
AZLCIKOI


	11. Day Ten: Spilling the heart

**_Yay, only four more days and the Bleachers will get to escape their school! I can't believe this story's coming to an end now._**

**_Somerlia: I know we didn't get to see much Nemu and Uryu but the future chapters will make up for all the lost time! _**

**_Marvolo-san: Don't feel sorry! It's all right. Rukia will become tamer by the time of the dance competition. Well, that's what I'm hoping for._**

**_Psychosocial: Of course Rukia's secret needs to be revealed. So will Uryu's and Renji's! Anyways, I'm glad I went along with Grimmy being a virgin because Grim-Ren just sounds so...wrong. Most likely, it'll cause all my readers to die from severe blood loss and probably me as well, which will be very inconvenient because then, I won't be able to update!_**

**_Fostersb: Jealous Ichigo=Happy Orihime. I love seeing a jealous Ichigo very much too! _**

**_TheRainingSun: Well...You know what they say...Wishes do come true. Honestly, if read my previous comments, you'd know right away that's exactly what I have in mind for Rukia's character. I'm not really a fan of RUkia but I'm not exactly a hater...I don't really feel the need to hate a '2D' character._**

**_nypsy: Ah of course I'm more dramatic than that! Being in love with Ichigo's just too boring. Hope this one was more unexpected!_**

**_anubislover: I think we already got our misunderstanding cleared up...Damn my rambling. Again, I apologize for the confusing response I gave you. I really didn't mean to say you were attacking my opinions. That was just a generalization._**

**_lunarstar77: Urahara's the man! I worship the imagination he has in this story!_**

**_yoyogigi125: Aw thank you so much for your review! It really makes me happy too! As for the marking, I'm thinking about making Ichigo do it again..._**

**_himelove22: Ichigo does need to chill but on the other hand, if I was in his shoes and someone was pawing my girlfriend like that, I would have probably punched the dude. The only thing is I'm a single lady (Gosh, damn the sushi restaurant that played 'all the single ladies' today-that's all I can think about-being single) and I have no need to feel jealousy._**

**_willi890: I don't think I'll give nightmares to RUkia anymore but I have something else in mind for a future chapter. Will that be okay, willi?_**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: haha...You can call me a masochist but a jealous Ichigo is my cup of tea (actually I prefer milk but do people say my cup of milk?)! Lol_**

**_MeggzieofHyrule: I really love Shakespeare too! Thus, Ichigo being one of my fav characters is a given._**

**_Zidane87: I completely agree with you that anyone who offers sex as the solution to a problem is properly labelled as a whore but I still love Grimmy with Nellie. The contrast between Grim's purity and Nel's corruption is just what makes the pairing more appealing to me. I know Grimmjow deserves better but not in this story! _**

**_Miku Alli: I'm really glad there are IchiRuki fans like you! There should be more people like you! Like you said, they are only paper characters and aren't worth starting a war over! Honestly, I thought IchiRUki fans would have teared me into bits for making Rukia so bitchy. Well, to me, I think she's more of a tragic character in this story. Anyways, she has her own revelation so it's all coming along._**

**_BleachBoy95: That really depends on your definition of a bad ending. I'll message you with the details!_**

**_WestAnimeBrigade: Thank you so much! *blushes scarlet red* _**

**_bleachbunny3: Will try to do...Can't make promises, tho._**

**_SailorMeowMeow: And I appreciate your review from the bottom of my heart! Thank you so much for reading my story!_**

Day Ten: Spilling the heart.

Nel and Grimmjow were still very troubled about what to do with Rukia. Even though Rukia's crush on Ichigo came as a surprise to Nel, it didn't seem like the most significant episode in Rukia's life. Thus, Nel decided to pry on Rukia's past further.

"Renji, didn't you say that Rukia's a sad being?" Nel asked Renji who was in the middle of a headstand.

"Nel, what exactly do you want to know?" Renji's eyes narrowed. Nel decided this was the time to use Renji's Achilles' heels.

"Renji, you have no idea." Nel thought for a moment on how to break the news to Renji. "Renji, you like Orihime, don't you?" At the question, Renji's face blossomed into a scarlet hue.

"W…w…why a…are you asking m…me t…that?"

"Because if you do, you'd tell me Rukia's weakness. You know what Rukia asked Grimmjow to do?" Nel took a deep breath. "She wanted him to rape Orihime! She's blackmailing us!" Nel wailed. Renji just stood there, completely taken aback at what Nel had just told him.

"N…No. No way."

"Yes way. So choose. It's either Orihime or Rukia." Nel stared into Renji's eyes. Renji looked away.

"Well…Rukia…she…" Renji briefly closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose thinking about the choices he had. "After her parents died, she suffered from depression." Renji took a moment. "...She tried to kill herself and her brother locked her up in a mental hospital before she came to Karakura High. That's the main reason she transferred to this school."

"Mental hospital? Suicidal? Figures. That explains a lot." Nel as much as she felt sympathetic towards Rukia, still couldn't forgive her for suggesting something as monstrous as rape.

"So how's this going to help Orihime?"

"Well, I'm certainly going to use this to blackmail Rukia. But more importantly, Renji, I got a question for you. Why did you give up Orihime like that?" Nel was truly touched by Renji's genuine feelings toward Orihime. He loved Orihime to the extent of betraying his childhood friend's secret.

"Because I'm not the one who could make her happy." Renji faked a grin. Inside, he was hurting and it wasn't difficult for Nel to see through his facade.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nemu and Ichigo were mastering the art of tap-dancing. They were almost synchronized like shadows imitating their master's movements

"Ichigo, this time instead of using x-ray vision on Orihime, can we try the beginning once more?" Nemu waved a hand in front of Ichigo's face to capture his attention.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Let's try the beginning once more."

"OI, you grim, get your paws off my girl!" Ichigo yelled at Grimmjow, dismissing what Nemu said to him. Grimmjow just grinned at Ichigo and dipped Orihime into an arch slowly.

"Grimmjow, get your paws off Orihime because I got something to tell you." Nel gripped one of Grimmjow's arm and dragged him off out of the gymnasium. She pulled away to an isolated space by the music room.

"I got it. I got Rukia's weakness. We can blackmail her instead." Nel told Grimmjow. "You see, she went into a mental hospital. She's crazy."

"Yeah well, she really didn't bother us about Orihime yet, so is that really necessary?" Grimmjow was feeling a bit uneasy about the whole shady business of blackmailing.

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

"Why don't we just wait until she comes for us or after the competition? At the moment, I'm really enjoying dancing with Orihime and I don't really want to get distracted." This comment caused Nel's pretty complexion to form into a scowl. She felt a pang of jealousy towards Orihime. All the men were falling for the auburn beauty left, right and centre. There was Ichigo on one side, Renji on the other and now Grimmjow seemed to be harbouring affection towards her. Nel was incredibly confused. Grimmjow had told her, he wanted to save his virginity until he met the girl who he loves and she wanted to know badly who that person was. She wasn't sure if that person was Orihime; however, she just couldn't bear to ask him the question.

"Yeah, I guess, I shouldn't distract you from your perfect dream time with Orihime. Just don't forget who Orihime's with." Nel casually said with a tint of spite in her voice. To her surprise, Grimmjow laughed.

"Nel, don't tell me. Are you…jealous?"

"No. Never. Nada." Nel with a scowl stalked off. Grimmjow's laugh soon faded and a slight frown etched into his rugged handsome face.

"The girl I love is you…Nel." Grimmjow whispered to himself.

* * *

Uryu never felt this frustrated before. He couldn't believe how much Rukia was destroying the beauty of Mahler's lingering sustained notes by distracting the music listeners with petty dance movements.

"I told you, Tchaikovsky would have suited the movements more." Uryu groaned.

"Well, it's too late. So stop fussing over it!" Rukia yelled at Uryu.

"You have no sense at all." At this remark, Rukia slapped Uryu. Uryu's spectacles went flying across. Nemu who was nearby saw the whole incident. She immediately ran over to Uryu's aid. Nemu glared furiously at Rukia.

"Rukia, I really didn't want to do this but you called this upon yourself." Nemu marched over to where Rukia was and Nemu punched Rukia squarely on the face. Rukia flew back from the impact. "Don't even expect me to feel sorry for you because that's payback for the last time in the girl's bathroom." Nemu mentally applauded herself for finally standing up for herself. Especially to Rukia. Uryu could only gawk at Nemu in amazement. He cleared his throat.

"Um, Nemu, that was admirable. Thank you." Uryu's initial shock soon morphed into a warm smize. His lips weren't smiling but his eyes were. Without even knowing it, something about Nemu was pulling Uryu's mind into a swirling twister. Nemu beamed.

"Uh…Nemu, I think you knocked Rukia out cold." Orihime interrupted the silence.

"Well better cold than dead even though I would have preferred the latter." Uryu answered in Nemu's stead. This caused a ripple of laughter from Orihime, Nemu and Ichigo.

"Do you think we should help her up?" Orihime asked the lot. They all gave each other questioning glances then finally simultaneously answered,

"NAH! Let her be. Let's go back to homeroom. I think I'm all ready for tomorrow." Nemu smiled.

"Where's Grimmjow and Nel?" Orihime looked around.

"They're probably doing something rated X. Let's not think about them, Orihime. Let's just think about us." Ichigo pulled Orihime in closer.

"It seems like you're following the same path, Kurosaki." Uryu said. "So did anyone see where my glasses flew over to?"

"Here, Uryu." Nemu gracefully slid Uryu's spectacles on his face. When she did, Uryu's cloudy vision immediately cleared up into a crystal clear sight. This enabled him to see Nemu's understated pretty face, pretty much face-on. Uryu blushed slightly. He couldn't help noticing Nemu's round eyes, cherry-coloured lips and faint rosy tints on her cheeks like it has been grazed by a cool wind. Uryu tried to shake the thought out of his system. Nemu was also staring into Uryu's eyes. She couldn't help but notice how sculpted his face looked. With his angular jaw bone and linear nose, Uryu looked very sophisticated and handsome. He looked like aristocracy. Orihime and Ichigo could only giggle and laugh about how Nemu and Uryu were both into each other without realizing it. However their enjoyable moment soon ended when Renji let out an anguished bellow. Renji had just come back from the washroom.

"What did you do to Rukia?" He pushed Uryu and Nemu out of the way to get towards Rukia. He picked her up and carried her. "I'm gonna put her into her bed."

"That won't be too hard." Nemu muttered under her breath. Uryu who heard her, had to smother his little outburst. He was beginning to fall for Nemu. Real hard.

Renji, gingerly, laid Rukia's unconscious body down on the bed. After doing so, Renji crumpled down and leaned against the bed.

"No matter how hateful you are, why can't I bring myself to hate you?" Renji whispered. "Why, Rukia, why? How could you even think about doing that to Orihime?"

"Because I want to be loved." A weak voice answered him. Rukia's violet eyes revealed themselves. Renji's head jerked up at the response.

"Are you stupid? Did you really think that Ichigo would love you for doing something like that?" Renji's temper flared.

"No. But I love him! Isn't that reason enough?" Rukia's own temper was matching up to Renji's.

"How can you call this love? Rukia, wake up. THIS IS NOT LOVE. This is just a selfish obsession. If you really _love_ Ichigo, you'd want him to be _happy_…And he's the happiest lad when he's with…Orihime. _Not you_."

"Is that why you let Orihime go?" Rukia shrieked with as much spite she could muster. "For such _noble_ reasons? Why, because you wanted Orihime to be happy? Does that make you happy? Knowing how happy Orihime is and how _miserable_ you are, does that make _you_ happy?"

Renji hesitated before answering Rukia's hurtful question.

"See, you can't answer me." Rukia laughed in triumph.

"_Yes_." Finally Renji replied quietly. "I'm happy just knowing that Orihime is happy with Ichigo, no matter how miserable I feel." It was Renji's turn to smile in triumph. Rukia hated how genuine Renji's smile was. Rukia did the most unexpected thing. She started to cry but the sounds were muffled. Rukia bit her lips to slaughter the sound that escaped from her crying. Renji, who has a heart made of gold, reached out for Rukia and enclosed her into a tight embrace.

"It's okay to cry. It's okay to let it all out." Renji patted Rukia's back. "I'm here for you." It was that moment when Rukia realized something she was too blind to see in the past. Something she dismissed so easily. And she began to regret not realizing it sooner. There was more than what met the eye when it came to Renji. Rukia's muffled sobs became louder. Rukia poured every bitter feeling and spiteful emotions out with her tears. She finally let Ichigo out of her heart. She muttered three words before falling into a deep and peaceful slumber.

_Thank you…Renji._

End of day ten.

* * *

MAJOR EPIPHANY for Rukia.

Anyways, I 'heart' y'all  
AZLCIKOI


	12. Day Eleven: A time to remorse

**_I can't believe this story's coming to an end now. There will be 3 more official chapters and maybe an epilogue. Just a head's-up. I'm not going to pair Renji up with Rukia. This might change in the epilogue but like I said, the epilogue's a maybe and nothing's been planned for it. I really want to thank everyone who took the time to read and review How to Escape your School in Fourteen Days! _**

**_Before I forget, I just wanna say, I now got a deviant art profile with several Ichihime pics up! The link is posted on my profile so check it out if you're interested!_**

**_Somerlia: She's definitely getting better. But I'm still wondering whether I should finalize Renruki in the epilogue. You see the epilogue's the only chapter which is left unplanned so...yeah. I'll probably put up a poll._**

**_nypsy: I guess Rukia's feeling possessive over Ichigo and because she felt threatened by Orihime, she decided to turn the tables on her rather than the opposite way. Well, that's definitely the way I wanted to portray her character..._**

**_GummyBear: Rukia finally had her epiphany but she's not going to end up as a couple with Renji. I want her to be the on the other end of one-sided love. Of course, this is bound to change since the epilogue's left unplanned but before the epilogue, that's pretty much a finalized direction._**

**_Alex274: I'm trying so don't die on me, Alex! Although faster updates possibly mean shorter chapters...About Ichigo doing the deed with Orihime, it's probably not gonna happen in this story. I mean, Ichigo and Orihime will definitely do the act but because I fully intend to keep this story T-rated, there will be only implications. And definitely no rapes between Ichigo and Orihime in this fic too. Maybe I should write a story about Orihime raping Ichigo...XD!_**

**_willi890: Keep your eyes open towards the end. You're in for a little surprise! Hope you like it!_**

**_Teruhime: Although I sympathize Rukia's past, I still dislike her character in this story for suggesting something as hideous as rape. Luckily, Orihime is way open-hearted than me so even if she finds out about the whole shady business, she'll probably forgive Rukia._**

**_Miku Alli: It's all right. LOL. Too bad my inner fangirl is screaming, ICHIHIME. :P Just pulling your toes!_**

**_no name: Sorry but Renruki won't be happening. For now. I might change the epilogue so let's see._**

**_yoyogigi125: I'm trying my best to update quicker so please bear with me. I'll definitely finish this story by next week or at the most, the week after that so I can't really guarantee quick updates. Sorry X(_**

**_lydia: Yuppers...I probably can't keep them apart even if tried now with all the attractions flying all over the place._**

**_anubislover: Aw thank you! Nellie and Grimmie will officially be a couple by the end of this story so keep a look-out!_**

**_MeggzieofHyrule: Oops, sorry. I have another short chapter. The next few will be longer._**

**_: Nope. I like Ichigo, at the moment. Maybe in another story tho. LOL. I did something else, however, so I hope you still like it even if it's not exactly what you want._**

**_TheRainingSun: I thought IchiHime is canon...? Maybe not. _**

Day Eleven: A time to remorse for old ways

When Rukia woke up, she was disappointed to find herself alone. She looked around for any signs of a certain crimson haired friend but Renji was nowhere in sight. Rukia sighed and pulled herself out of her bed. She headed for the gym.

* * *

The gym was decorated with gorgeous gold garlands, beautiful scarlet balloons and striking cobalt blue glitters. It definitely hyped a sense of festivity. Rukia's eyes, however, was only able to capture the sight of Renji. Around Renji was the rest of the bunch. They were already in their costumes and they were all laughing in joy together. Rukia's heart ached with melancholy. If she realized the maliciousness of her behaviour sooner, she probably would have been laughing with joy along with the others as well. Rukia lowered her eyes to the ground with remorse. Now it felt too late. Rukia lost the courage to face others. _Others who she humiliated and belittled until now_.

"Rukia." A voice called out to her. It belonged to a pretty and tender hearted teenager. It was the girl who she humiliated the most…_Orihime_. Rukia wished she could just evaporate on the spot. She felt weak in the knees. Rukia couldn't bear to look Orihime in the eyes anymore. Especially after the demand she made to Grimmjow. Rukia for the first time in her life felt the uttermost regret. "Come join us."

Orihime reached out a hand and smiled brightly. It was not a smile of pity. It was just a simple genuine smile. A smile that reached out to Rukia and embraced her. Rukia knew then, Orihime had forgiven her long ago. Rukia shyly reached her hand out as well and laced hers into Orihime's. Rukia's sullen face transformed into a merry one.

"Before the competition begins, I have something I want to tell everyone." Rukia searched into Renji's eyes for encouragement. She found all the encouragement she needed in them. "I…I'm…sorry. Orihime, I'm sorry. Nemu, I'm sorry. Grimmjow and Nel, I'm sorry. Uryu, I'm sorry. Ichigo, I'm sorry…and Renji, I can't even begin to tell you how much regret I feel for always looking past you. I'm sorry." Rukia's eyes were ingrained with tears.

"Well, you happen to be the most horrible, selfish, intimidating, spoiled…bully." Uryu began, while pushing his glasses back up.

"Not to mention, rude and violent." Grimmjow added.

"And a hurtful and vile being." Nel nodded.

"Don't forget scary." Orihime said shyly.

"You can even say monstrous." Nemu pitched in.

"With a nasty temper." Ichigo scratched the back of his neck.

"And the most important of all, a queen bitch." Renji finalized. Rukia felt like sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. It made her feel worse because she knew they were telling the truth and she was all those things a little while ago.

"But everyone deserves a second chance." Orihime smiled. "I forgive you."

"Because we felt the sincerity in your apology, we can't bear to not accept your apology." Uryu finished off. Everyone nodded in agreement. Rukia cried. Not because she felt lonely or angry but because she found peace and joy..._at last_.

"Thank you."

"Now children, let the competition begin if all the heavy emotional stuff's been exchanged." Urahara's voice carried out over the PA system. "First up, we got Renji and Nel, who're going to hip it and hop it to Flo Rida's Elevator!"

Nel and Renji who were in matching white racerback tank tops and camouflage patterned baggy pants, gave the others a thumbs-up and ran up to the stage area. Renji did a backflip while Nel did a one-hand cartwheel. Everyone cheered as loudly as they could for the duo. Renji and Nel soon placed themselves in their beginning position. When the heavily rhythmic and strong beating music commenced, Renji and Nel captured the crowd. With their synchronized and at the same time, separate choreography, everything was fast-paced, exciting and well-done. To finish off, Renji did a head spin and Nel did a flashy gymnastic move before dropping to the ground to signal the end.

Everyone erupted in a strong cheer for their wonderful performance.

"Next up, we have Ichigo and Nemu, who will tap dance to Cakewalk played by Oscar Peterson and his quartet!" Before leaping on to the stage like Renji and Nel, Ichigo leaned over Orihime. He pouted specifically to show Orihime a certain sign. Orihime understood and even while blushing furiously, gave Ichigo a light peck on the lips. Ichigo's heart did a somersault and he felt a deep flow of energy creeping into his system. The other's held amused smiles on their faces. Their resident bad boy was turning into a pile of goo just because of the social outcast. It was a pure irony to them.

Nemu and Ichigo were dressed in a very formal attire. They looked like butlers for the queen. They even carried shiny black canes to add comic effects to the max. When the fluid jazz harmonies and patterns began, Ichigo and Nemu danced like there was no tomorrow. Everyone clapped along to the music, excited by the wonderful showmanship. When the music finished, everyone cheered and hooted loudly as possible. Orihime shyly pulled Ichigo in for a kiss.

"Do you still find tap-dancing sexy?" Ichigo whispered into Orihime's ears. This brought chills down Orihime's spine.

"More now than ever." Orihime whispered back. Ichigo grinned and captured Orihime's mouth for another kiss.

"Wonderful. Now let's cheer on for Orihime and Grimmjow who will Rhumba for us along to Untold Love by Dancelife!" Orihime pulled away from Ichigo's grasp and Ichigo immediately missed her warmth.

"Bring it on!" Grimmjow shouted while holding Orihime's hand to lead her up to the stage.

Orihime was dressed in an icy white chiffon and silver spangled dress. Grimmjow was wearing an open white shirt that revealed the deeply contoured muscles to the world and sexy black dress pants. The music began and Orihime swayed her hips matching them to the flow of soft pulsing rhythm. Grimmjow traced the outlines of her hips and smoothly glided his foot in a spherical motion. Ichigo fought a growl that was forming at the bottom of his throat. He glared at Grimmjow. When the song ended and Grimmjow dipped Orihime down to an arch, everyone (except for a very jealous strawberry) clapped thunderously. When Orihime went back to the seats, Ichigo possessively grabbed her waist and sat her down on his laps to show everyone else who she belonged to.

"Our final dancers are Rukia and Uryu who will flatter us with their pink tutus and tights to Mahler's Fourth movement from his Symphony no. 5." Urahara introduced the duo.

"And whose fault is that?" Uryu muttered under his breath.

"At least you're not wearing a tutu." Rukia whispered. Uryu agreed full heartedly.

Rukia was wearing a fluffy pink tutu over white stockings and she wore matching ballet slippers. Uryu on the other hand was wearing a pink tight over white ballet slippers. Nemu hid her eyes behind her hand at the sight. She didn't want to see that certain male body part (especially Uryu's) in this format (she rather see it naked than covered under a hideous pale pink clothing). However, despite the pale frosty costumes, when the music began, everyone was immediately enchanted by the mesmeric tune and how the choreography emphasized the peaceful beauty. When the song ended, everyone stood up to give Rukia and Uryu a standing ovation. No other performance among the bunch could surpass the beauty they performed today. Rukia's graceful and light footwork and Uryu's solid and powerful stance harmonized magically together.

"We will announce the winners in just a moment." Urahara paused. A drumroll was heard from the announcement.

"Third place goes to Ichigo and Nemu for their electrifying tap-dance and to Grimmjow and Orihime for their alluring display to the heated rhumba!" Ichigo and Orihime hugged each other tightly while Nel gave Grimmjow a pat on the back. Grimmjow of course, purred. Nemu jumped in joy when Uryu grasped her hand firmly. The rest cheered in a roar to congratulate them.

"Now second place goes to…" Urahara paused for suspense. "Renji and Nel for their energetic and skilful performance of hip hop!" Grimmjow took this moment to steal a kiss from Nel. He just couldn't help hiding his feelings anymore. Nel when getting over her initial shock, reciprocated Grimmjow's kiss. Everyone around them cheered for the two.

"That means…first place goes to…URYU AND RUKIA!" Nemu enveloped Uryu into a warm embrace and Uryu beamed like a fool. Rukia on the other hand earned lots of hugs from the girls and high-fives from the guys but the person she expected the most to come up front, stayed behind in the shadows. Rukia couldn't help feeling disappointed. Even if she won an international dance competition, this emptiness she felt this moment wouldn't fade. Renji only gave a nod of approval when she expected him to pull her into a headlock and ruffle her head.

"Your prizes will be on your beds so go and check it out! All of you deserve it for putting up such a wonderful event!" Urahara said through the announcement. Everyone smiled and retired to their homeroom. However, Nel pulled Grimmjow back.

"Why did you kiss me? I thought the girl you like would be someone…pure…like…Orihime." Nel looked away.

"It doesn't matter that you slept with a teacher, Nel. Because that's never enough to stop me from loving you." Grimmjow smiled. Nel, who felt the countless amount of gratitude, pulled Grimmjow into a heated and passionate kiss. They sighed into each other's embrace.

When they all returned back to their homeroom, everyone discovered real gifts on their beds. Orihime, Ichigo, Grimmjow and Nemu pulled out $250 gift certificates to Willi Restaurant on 890th street, respectively. Renji and Nel's gift revealed a $500 gift certificate to the Crimson Mall by 333rd street, respectively and Rukia and Uryu both won a plane ticket to a week's vacation in New York. Everyone squealed in delight.

After all, it was a fun night for the crowd.

End of day eleven

* * *

Well, Nel/Grim will be more developed in the next chapter. For now, let's just let them savor their moment together.

O BTW, if anyone saw the new Bleach movie, do you mind giving me spoilers? I just don't have the time to watch the full thing, but I kinda want to know more about it. That Gin-look-alike-but-reminds-me-of-Ichigo's-hollow dude got my attention for sure!

Anyways, heart y'all  
AZLCIKOI


	13. Day Twelve: HTEYSIFD

**_Finally, I earned a flame! The only thing is it was so damn long, I almost fell asleep reading it. I mean just get to the point! If you don't like it, you don't. If you like it, you do! All that beating around the bush was enough to make me snore in front of the computer-which I never done before. _**

**_First of all, characterization is at the discretion of the author and I don't understand why anybody would complain about a character not being IN character. Just because you're using a character from a manga, doesn't mean you have to be 'by the book' (no pun intended). There's a reason why something called 'imagination' exist. _**

**_Secondly, if the whole purpose of writing this story was to bash Rukia, I would've just called it Rukia Hate and list off all the things I don't like about her. I probably wouldn't have included a reason as to why she became that way in the first place. The funny thing is, however, I don't hate Rukia and I don't want to write a story just to bash her! That's just a waste of everyone's time. It's true I'm not too fond of her but that doesn't necessarily mean I hate her. It's too much to hate a character who's just on paper. _**

**_Honestly, I would have liked a review (or call it flame) which comments on flaws to do with grammar, inconsistency or plot development. Not some senseless ramblings on reasons (they were pretty inaccurate too) to hate my story. Also, if you want to analyse a story, you should read it thoroughly. Well, it's good to know that my writing provokes emotions out of the readers, whether they are negative or positive ones. _**

**_Miku Alli: Just one thing. I wasn't being nicer to Rukia. That epiphany was planned from the beginning...so I wasn't being mean to Rukia in the first place...Anyways thanx for reading! :):)_**

**_RabbitBleachFan: Aww...Thanx! I'm glad you think this story's awesome! :):)_**

**_BleachBoy95: Ishida and Nemu's relationship will be determined in the next chapter. At the moment, I don't really have another story planned. When this one finishes, I think I'ma spend some time on Hime Stayed Out All Night and when it's up to a certain point, I'll start a new one! :):) Maybe I'll just start a sequel to this story...?_**

**_Fostersb: Yeah, I want to develop Rukia's relationship with her brother first before she goes into a relationship. I'm probably going to leave Rukia's relationship with Renji open-ended._**

**_Teruhime: Orihime's such a lovable character. Some people might call her optimistic personality and naivety annoying but I don't care...I like it. :):)_**

**_thecrimson333: Thanks...I made you into a shopping mall...I hope that was all right. :):)_**

**_Marvolo-san: I'm glad Rukia's apology sounded sincere. That was what I was aiming for!_**

**_lydia: I made up my mind. I'm going to write an epilogue but I still want to leave Renji and Rukia's relationship open-ended. :):)_**

**_ForeverisGone13: Thank you! I'm definitely honoured to hear that! :):):)_**

**_yoyogigi125: Nope, no renruki...sorry._**

**_anubislover: I can't believe it's coming to an end now! Also, I can't believe how far I got without getting a single flame...Actually I take that back. I just earned a super-damn-long one. Honestly, if anybody had the time to write a flame as long as that, they should invest that time into something more productive because all it takes is a single click for me to delete it. But I'm gonna leave it because I want other readers to see it and think about how inaccurate the review was. _**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: What's on chapter 428? XD Tell me tell me tell me!_**

**_Psychosocial: LOL, I still can't believe I combined Ichigo with tap-dancing. Because of that, I had a wierd dream yesterday about strawberries wearing tuxedos..._**

**_WestAnimeBrigade: Thanks!_**

**_willi890: Well, I made you into a restaurant. I hope that was all right :):):)_**

**_mosspaw: It's okay if you didn't review. Honestly, none of the readers are obligated to review and they don't have to feel sorry for not doing so! I'm just happy enough with how much love this story's getting!_**

**_Gaby: Um...It's not really in my character to be rude but you brought it upon yourself. I mean, can you at least read the story properly before you say such nonsense? Also, the only person who's contradicting what they're saying is you. You just said 'the whole plot is interesting blah blah blah' and then you go on to say, "i thought it was going to be interesting...but I was wrong..." WTF is that? Also, you seem to have this delusional idea that character bashing was the purpose of this story but even if that was true (which it isn't), you still have no right to tell me what I should do and shouldn't do. If you don't like the way the characters were portrayed, go find yourself another story or write one up yourself. Why are you even reading fanfiction? If you wanna read IN character stories, just go read the manga. You said, my characterization is far from reality, but FYI, BLEACH isn't reality in the first place unless you're a crackpot who's living in a make-believe world. BTW, you said you're not bashing Ichihime shippers, but you sure have a funny way of showing it. I'm not even going to bother about replying about your analysis about Rukia and Nel because it would be redundant (I'm not trying to point fingers at you but you seem to like repetition- like saying the same thing over and over). And about Renji, he's not even going to end up with Rukia so your comment about him was pretty much a waste of your time and mine. And about the rest of your comment, just go and read the story properly. Everything is pretty much self-explanatory so I'm not even going to waste my time walking through every single nonsense you wrote. Just so you know, I don't think they were "harsh comments" at all. They were just loads of garbage with inaccurate reasonings. Most of the content was about how you disliked my portrayal of the characters and how I was bashing Rukia's character...Gosh, get real, won't you? You don't think you're a troll? Save that BS for the jury. You said you like Ichihime but you're liking it less because of this story...Well all I can say is, Ichihime doesn't need readers like you. So go waste your time somewhere else._**

**_MeggzieofHyrule: Yeah...Rukia finally came to a realization. Things are defintely improving for her now!_**

**_If you don't like my story, just don't read it...I'm not saying this just to Gaby but for everyone else!_**

Day Twelve: HTEYSIFD (this is an acronym for the title. I didn't want to use it because my beta told me it kinda sounds like a new kind of syphilis and even though I agree with her 150%, this site won't let me write the whole thing cause it's so long)

It was a peaceful day for the crowd. With no more hard feelings with each other, Rukia, Orihime, Nemu and Nel got along pretty fine with each other. The girls were merrily discussing about celebrities they like and things they like to do. The guys were talking about sports and cars.

"Lovely day, children!" Urahara interrupted with a cheerful voice. "In fact, it's a lovely day to set up a mini concert!"

"Are you fucking serious?" Grimmjow shouted. "You just worked us up like dogs with that dance competition! Now another concert? What do you think you're playing at?"

"Nothing in particular. Since you guys are already divided into groups why don't we keep the same format? This time, it's the girls vs. the boys. Each group will form a band and the genre of music or choice of music, is at your discretion. Make sure you come up with a good name for your bands!" Urahara replied. "Comprend-able?"

"Oui!" Orihime excitedly answered.

With that, everyone headed towards the music room. Ichigo and the others immediately discussed about which type of band they were going to create.

"Sorry, Ishida. Nothing classical." Grimmjow smirked.

"For your information, I happen to like ACDC." Uryu replied. This earned him several raised eyebrows.

"I actually prefer classical music." Ichigo said thoughtlessly. All the guys turned around to face him with a surprised look.

"I can totally envision you playing Mozart." Renji's voice was littered with sarcasm. He laughed.

"Well then, let's have a vote. Who wants a classical band?" Grimmjow asked. Only Ichigo raised a casual hand. Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Who wants a rock band?" Uryu, Renji and Grimmjow all raised their hands, high enough to touch the ceiling. "Sorry Ichigo but majority wins." Grimmjow grinned.

"Okay, so who's going to play what?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm used to playing the violin…" Uryu began.

"Do you think you can handle electric guitar?" Ichigo replied.

"Yeah…with a bit of practice."

"I'll take on electric bass." Renji volunteered.

"I'm on the drum kit, then!" Grimmjow added

"Which leaves the keyboard." Ichigo said finally. "Okay, that's a start. Now we need names."

"How about The Quincy Masters?" Uryu asked.

"That sounds gay. That's like wanting to be called The Pixie Princesses, honestly." Grimmjow rolled his eyes in disapproval.

"What about The Espadas?" Grimmjow offered instead.

"The Swords in Spanish?" Renji returned an amused grin. Renji took Spanish classes so he was well aware of the meaning.

"Well, we're all dudes. What's the problem?" Grimmjow replied playfully.

"The problem is it's a very vulgar word selection if you're using it in the sense that I'm thinking of." Uryu pushed the spectacles which were sliding down.

"Quite the contrary. I'm pretty sure, Nemu would appreciate very much you calling yourself a sword. I saw her eyeing a certain body part yesterday when you were in pink tights." Grimmjow winked. This caused Uryu's usual calm and pale face to turn into a deep burgundy colour.

"What about the Death Gods?" Renji offered instead. "I think it suits the rock genre really well."

"Hey, let's make that Shinigami's Espadas!" Grimmjow laughed really loudly. Uryu buried his head into his palm in disbelief.

"How about Las Noches?" Renji used this time to show off his wide range of vocabulary in Spanish.

"It's not too bad. What do you think about The Night Gods?" Uryu spoke.

"I like that." Renji and Ichigo gave their consent. Grimmjow groaned.

"I still think The Shinigami's Espada rules over all." Grimmjow pouted. It was then when an idea emerged inside Ichigo's mind.

"Wait…I got an idea. Since Urahara locked us up in here, why don't we call ourselves, How To Escape Your School?" Ichigo finally spoke. This earned a two thumbs up from both Renji and Uryu. They liked the sound of the name.

"Let's have a vote then. Those in favour of How To Escape Your School?" Ichigo asked. Only Grimmjow raised his hand. "And those in favour of The Night Gods?" Everyone else raised their hands. "Sorry Grimmjow, but like you said before, majority wins." Ichigo returned Grimmjow a similar grin to the one Grimmjow gave him before.

* * *

The girl's were faring just as well as the boys.

"So what should are name be?" Orihime pumped up her fist to show her excitement. "How about the Super Power Robotic Gargoyles?" Orihime's eyes sparkled.

"Uh…any other suggestions?" Nel and Nemu exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"The Chappy Wonders!" Rukia suggested.

"Wait…I think I got something even better." Orihime and Rukia exchanged knowing looks.

"The Super Power Robotic Chappy Gargoyle Wonders!" They squealed at the same time. Nel and Nemu shook their heads.

"Okay…I think I like the sound of the word Halcyon…" Nemu began.

"I also like the Spanish word, Fraccion." Nel added.

"What do you guys think about The Halcyon Fraccion?" Nemu and Nel jumped up and down excitedly.

"Let's have a vote." Orihime stated. "Those in favour of The SPRCGWs?" Both Rukia and Orihime raised their hands quickly. They gave each other a high five. "And to those in favour of The Halcyon Fraccion?" Both Nemu and Nel raised their hands.

"How about we do this? We incorporated everything together but only to the extent where it makes sense." Nel replied.

"Okay. The Super Halcyon Fraccion Wonders?" Orihime tried. "Or The Robotic Chappy Halcyon Fraccion. Hey…actually I have an idea." Orihime stuck her bottom lip out to show how deeply in thought she was in. "Since we're stuck in the school for fourteen days, why don't we call ourselves, In Fourteen Days?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Nemu cheered.

"Awesome. Why didn't I think of that?" Nel patted Orihime on the back.

""In Fourteen Days. I'm hearting it!" Rukia added. "So now that we got our name, why don't we pick a genre?"

"What do you think about jazz burlesque?" Nel tried. Both Rukia and Nemu shook their heads. "How about retro pop?"

"Spice Girls!" Orihime shrieked suddenly. "Let's totally go for the Spice Girls' feel." Rukia, Nel and Nemu nodded their heads in agreement. They all happened to like idea.

* * *

It was finally time for everyone to gather for the so-called mini-concert.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a round of applause to our first band, How To Escape Your School! They will be performing Hells Bells by ACDC." Urahara's voice was barely heard over the noise created by the girls, who were screaming and clapping.

The boys went up first. They were all dressed in leather garments and metal chains. When the music began, the lights were flashing multiple colours. Ichigo looked devilishly handsome as usual but because he was wearing spiked chokers with heavy metal chains, this intensified the bad boy looks even more. Renji on the other hand was wearing drool-worthy leather pants and a ripped t-shirt. Grimmjow had a sleeveless leather jacket which showed how sculpted his arms were. Uryu was wearing a fishnet shirt. All the girls gasped at the sight. Nemu was in awe. Uryu actually looked cool unlike his usual bookish self. The performance was a hit.

"Next up, we have "In Fourteen Days" and they are going to perform Spice Girl's debut single "Wannabe" for us!"

The girls went next. Each girl was dressed in the exact same shiny one piece but in a different colour. Orihime was in red, Nel was in green, Nemu was in black and Rukia was in purple. They all sang pretty well. Singing was not Orihime's forte but she still managed to not show any signs of struggle. Nel and Rukia definitely surprised everyone with their excellent singing skill. Nemu on the other hand, looked like a professional singer. Uryu was breath-taken by her.

When the concert finished, everybody was beyond tired. They all went up to their homeroom and fell fast asleep, without even changing out of their concert attire.

End of Day Twelve.

* * *

Gosh after that long-winded flame, I felt pretty upset. Usually, I'm cool with flames (the Irony ;)) but that was way too obnoxious for me to ignore. For some reason there's always a rotten apple in the bunch that spoils everything for everyone else. And please don't think lowly of me for my response. I'm usually a polite being but there's only so much a person can take. I seriously don't understand how thick-skinned some people can be. How can you even bring yourself to tell someone 'no, this is not the proper way to write this character. This is the proper way...Blah Blah Blah'

People, there is _no _proper way to write a character in FICTION! There's a reason why it's called FICTION.

Anyways, enough with the hatin' (this comment is directed towards me XD).  
Let's do some 'hearting! Heart y'all except for faultfinding bastards,  
AZLCIKOI


	14. Day Thirteen:The eve before the fourteen

**_Okay...I just want to let everyone know I'm over that flame. I was initially pretty upset but after awhile, I felt better and soon before I realized, I was laughing about it. So much for coolness, getting burned by a flame! Honestly, I don't care anymore. All I care is that I enjoy writing this story and hopefully that my readers share the same feeling while reading it. _**

**_Also, to others, don't worry about flaming as long as they are within reason. I only got upset with the other one mainly because it was disgracing my love for Ichihime. Sometimes, I can get pretty hot-headed. _**

**_Oh and I'm sorry if you find the replies annoying but I prefer it this way than messaging or pulling them out to a separate chapter. Messaging is a hectic business for me because I can never keep track of all the replies I send and receive (I have trouble managing my own email). And pulling the reviews out to a separate chapter seems like an annoying thing to do. I see several stories which gets updated but to my disappointed, they were only author's notes...at that point, I couldn't care less about what the author's gotta say..._**

**_fomally know as danni55: maybe pretty damn better for this chappie?.?:):):)_**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: I know...I can't believe the fourteenth's creeping closer. I'm thinking about writing a sequel. I'm still not sure about the epilogue. Maybe, I should ax it and replace it with a sequel or leave the epilogue and write a different story. _**

**_nypsy: Don't worry about flaming me. It doesn't matter. Criticism makes people mature. The only thing is, I appreciate constructive criticism much more. Btw, that didn't look at all like a flame so put an extinguisher to your worries. About cutting the replies and author's note, I don't really like pulling them out to a seperate chapter because it gives people the wrong idea. People are obviously going to be disappointed when they check out the next installment only to discover a simple author's note. It annoys me when others do it, so I don't want to follow their examples. And you're right...the previous chapter was a bit rushed. I was also working on Hime stayed out all night so that didn't really go too well...that's why this chapter and onwards, I'll be fully dedicated to this story only until it's completed._**

**_Psychosocial: Some things never grow old. My friends give me the look of utter confusion when I tell them I like AC/DC (I'm a classical musician). I keep telling them you don't have to be an open-minded music lover to enjoy rock music. Besides alot of people who play classical music enjoy other genres of music!_**

**_Miku Alli: Or they could say that without being insulting and obnoxious. I mean, I like straight-forwardness but even straight-forwardness shouldn't be disrespectful. You don't have to tell someone you don't like what they wrote by insulting their taste. That flamer should've just left it at saying that he or she didn't find this story interesting instead of telling me I'm a Rukia-hater and a hypocrite._**

**_Someralia: Sorry about that. I can assure you, this chapter is longer than some of the previous ones, even without the replies._**

**_Matthew: All I got to say is, I don't care about the flame anymore. And I don't intend to *bash* you unless that's what you want me to do. (I might *bash* you on the head for mentioning a circus-I highly dislike clowns. It would've been better if you said zoo. Sorry I have wierd sense of humour). As for taking the flame as light, I guess you're refering to flames that threaten the author and call them a thoughtless freak etc...but honestly you gotta admit, seeing those are much more interesting than a dull essay that's, what did you call it, confusing? And about Rukia, I never said she isn't portrayed as a bitch...All I said was if it was my full intention to bash her, I wouldn't have done it this way. Btw, if you don't like author's notes, why not ignore it and just scroll down below to see the story? That would save you alot of time._**

**_lunarstarr77: Well...it's going to be open-ended-that is for Rukia and Renji, so don't count your chicks before they hatch(I might replace the epilogue with a sequel, tho I'm not sure yet)!_**

**_Gnomey5005: It's true reviews motivates people to write but to be entirely honest with you, for some odd reason flames motivate me even more. I guess you can call it like a defense mechanism but that's the way I roll...! Wait, I should take that back because now readers might flame me so they can motivate me for faster updates *holds hair and lets out a groan* .! LOL_**

**_no name: Of course this isn't a flame. I mean unless you were purposely trying to humiliate me which I doubt highly. I hope this chapter didn't seem like a summary. If it does, I'll keep working on it! Thanks for the advice!_**

**_thecrimson333: I love recycling old ideas into newer ones! Thus, I planned the names that way. _**

**_Cehmacc14: Yuppers, everyone's all friends. Grimmjow and Ichigo are quite close. They just like getting onto each other's backs._**

**_anubislover: I'm so glad I have a reader like you! It really puts a smile on my face *my kid brother runs away in shock at the sight*. Oh and Grimmjow with daisies locked up in jail got my senses tingling...maybe I should do that for a future story? I'll be forever haunted by fangirls if I do that, I'm guessing. ._**

**_mosspaw: It's Gaby? The whole time I thought it was Gary...o_O? Ah, who cares. Hehe. I'm seriously heartin' y'all for all the wonderful support you guys are giving me!_**

**_Zidane87: I know...if a rotten apple comes along in the bunch, we'll just throw it away and pick up a better one!_**

**_Alex274: Well, maybe there might be more excitement in a future story *wink wink*. I mean, I'm not exactly saying I'm gonna make Rukia into a bitch again in another story but I'm planning on starting a M-rated fic featuring IchiHime. Of course, there'll be help because I'm not really comfortable with above T-rated stories...but we'll see._**

**_yoyogigi125: I'm glad you like it!_**

**_ForeverisGone13: Well you know what they say, life's a cycle...The end is approaching for this one but that means, a new beginning for another one! It's such an honour there are so many people who enjoy reading this fic. I'm heartin' y'all!_**

**_Teruhime: Rukia and Orihime's friendship is budding...It'll bloom pretty soon. Btw, what's a FLOL and BA o.O? I'm a complete loser when it comes to technicalities like these. Help!_**

**_MeggzieofHyrule: If I was Tubo Kite, Bleach would've been another story (no pun intended!) Maybe one day, you'll get around to writing your own stories. I opened this account without getting around to writing at first, but once I started, everything just kinda flourished from that point on...Anyways, you're very welcome!_**

**_lydia: I'm really sorry for torturing you but I'm going to leave Renji and Rukia's relationship open-ended in this story...I'll probably have them together in a different story so hope that means something to you :):)_**

**_Eternal Roses: You got me blushing pretty badly. I'm glad you find it original...because there are so many other creative ideas out there, I thought this one would be boring in comparison. Thanks! :):)_**

Day Thirteen: The eve before the fourteenth

To everyone's surprise, it was Christmas Eve. Because of the hectic past days, the whole gang had forgotten about Christmas. Even if they weren't prepared, everyone wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve. This resulted in Grimmjow, Ichigo and Renji rummaging the cafeteria kitchen. To the boys' surprise, they found several eggnog cartons, Christmas log cakes, candy canes and other Holiday dishes. Uryu brought back the cups and plates. When he handed Nemu her's, he accidentally grazed her hand. He felt a sudden electric jolt and the china plate went crashing into a thousand shards.

"I'm so sorry." Uryu whispered. Nemu giggled.

"Don't worry. Let's clean this up before someone gets hurt." They both bent down to clean up the mess. "So I guess, geniuses make mistakes too." This comment made Uryu blush madly.

"I'm not a genius." Uryu replied shyly.

"And you're modest too." Nemu wanted to slap herself. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Usually, she felt shy and nervous around Uryu but at the moment, she couldn't stop her mouth from gushing all that flattery.

"I'm just honest."

"At least you're good at something. I wish I could do something extraordinarily better than everyone else."

"I think you're an excellent singer. You looked like a real star yesterday." Uryu pushed his glasses up his nose to mask the giddiness he was feeling.

"You ladies, stop flirting and bring the plates over." Nel teased.

"Nel, Uryu's not a lady." Nemu pouted.

"Of course he's not." Nel replied. Then she whispered to Rukia and Orihime. "Of course he's not in her eyes." The three of them giggled knowing exactly what Nel was referring to. Rukia then, pointed outside.

"Oh my gosh, look. It's snowing." Rukia grabbed Orihime and Nel and the three of them dashed to the window side.

Orihime glanced out the window to look at the snowflakes swirling down. Someone sneaked up behind her and with his hands covered her eyes. A smile danced on her lips.

"Let me guess, it's Renji, isn't it?" Orihime teased. A scowl deepened on a certain berry-top. He uncovered her eyes and turned her around. "I should've known! It's not a pineapple but a strawberry." Orihime giggled. Nel and Rukia slowly backed away to give the two lovebirds some space.

"Why you…" Ichigo ruffled her head and gave her a cup of hot chocolate. "Nice weather outside."

"I know, I can't wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow's the last day."

"Yeah, it's also Christmas." Ichigo took a sip of hot chocolate from his own mug.

"The two of you, stop making fucking googly eyes at each other and come join us for some eggnog before Nel drinks it all!" Grimmjow called out to them from the other side of the spacious room. Nel glared at Grimmjow.

"But we're having hot chocolate." Ichigo called back.

"I'm worried. I haven't got presents for anyone yet." Orihime muttered sadly. Ichigo lightly smirked and pulled Orihime in closer until she was snuggled right by his chest.

"You don't need to give me anything for Christmas because there's only one thing I need." Ichigo told Orihime.

"What's that?"

"You?" Orihime giggled at Ichigo's response.

"That's so cheesy, Ichigo."

"That's not cheesy. That's fucking disturbing." Grimmjow yelled. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Grimmjow, stop eavesdropping or I'll show you what's disturbing."

"I really want to see you try, Kurosaki 'cause I think I already seen the worst of it."

"Yeah well, at least, I don't fucking purr when I kiss a girl. That's pretty disturbing."

"Oh yeah? Well at least I don't get a fucking erection when I make out with a girl." Grimmjow retorted. Ichigo's face started to turn a funny shade of magenta.

"Why you!" Before Ichigo could say anything else or even squeeze in a punch for Grimmjow, the announcement came on.

"Children!" Urahara's jovial voice was heard across the room. "…You better not pout, you better not cry, you better not shout 'cause I'm telling you why…we're going to do a little Secret Santa exhange!"

"The only problem is, Secret Santa requires presents and we haven't got any." Rukia commented.

"Well, that's exactly what today's assignment is about. We're going to have a crafts assignment! If you all look inside your desk, you'll find a pink slip of paper and on that paper will be a name of someone. The craftwork you make will be for that person whose name is on that pink slip of paper." Urahara sounded excited. "I hope Inspector Yoruichi likes the present I got her."

"What did you get her?" Rukia asked.

"It's a secret…" Urahara suddenly whispered. "Lingerie." Everyone shivered.

"I'll pretend I never heard that." Rukia replied.

"Okay…let's go check out the names!" Grimmjow went to his desk hurriedly. When he reached it, he pulled out a pink envelope. Like the last time, it was scented.

"Hey why the fuck did I get…" Grimmjow began but when Rukia nudged him he quickly stopped.

"It's supposed to be a secret." Rukia told him after reading off the name, Orihime, on hers. Rukia was very pleased. She knew she couldn't turn back time but, she still really wanted to make it up to Orihime. Rukia quickly slipped her paper inside the envelope.

Orihime too, was very pleased with who she got. Of course, it would've been better if she got Ichigo but this'll do fine. She mentally read off Renji's name. She smiled. Ichigo noticed her giddy demeanour.

"Don't tell me, ya got me." Ichigo slid over to where Orihime was standing.

"Nope, I won't tell you anything." Orihime teased. "So who did you get?"

"Well, I won't tell you anything either." Ichigo pouted like a little child unlike his usual tough personality.

"Stop that, Ichigo. You're burning my eyes!" Renji exaggerated his movements playfully by shielding his eyes. Even if Renji was acting playful, he still felt slightly worried. Renji had pulled out Uryu's name and he wasn't really that close to Uryu yet, despite their growing friendship.

"Yeah, I agree with Renji. Kurosaki, you're not acting like yourself when you're with Orihime." Uryu commented. Uryu, unlike Renji was feeling agitated. He got Nemu's name. He was beyond nervous and apprehensive. Uryu as much as he tried to deny it, he developed a tiny crush on Nemu. To him, this felt like the chance of a lifetime.

"So Uryu, are you going to tell me who you got?" Nemu wandered over to where Uryu was. Uryu cleared his throat.

"Uh…that would be going against the rules."

"You're so by-the-book, Uryu. Honestly, did you ever break a rule before?" Nemu playfully teased.

"Yeah, rules are meant to be broken." Orihime added.

"Says the girl who always puts her hand up before saying an answer in class." Renji said before lightly nudging Orihime and signalling the rest to give Nemu and Uryu some space.

Nemu was slightly disappointed. It seemed to her that Uryu didn't trust her enough to confide something as simple as the details on his pink paper. She was also disappointed how Uryu wasn't her Secret Santa. She got Nel. She liked Nel very much and had gotten really close to Nel but she still wanted to use this chance to reveal her little crush on a certain spectacled guy.

Nel on the other hand was exhilarated. She got Grimmjow. She really wanted to use this chance to show Grimmjow how much he means to her. She wanted to show him that she was not a shallow, impassive and apathetic person. Nel began to wonder what she could make for Grimmjow.

Grimmjow however, was beyond stupefied. He was in fact, a bit upset. He couldn't believe he got Ichigo.

"This thing gotta be rigged!" He mildly bellowed.

"Nope, it was a random draw." Urahara's jovial voice rang over the room.

"Then why the fuck did I get…"

"Shut up." Ichigo interrupted Grimmjow. Grimmjow just rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"Speak of the devil." Grimmjow was completely lost on what to make with the situation. He hoped highly for getting Nel's name but instead he got stuck with a scowling berry boy.

"Guess you're never going to tell me who you got." Orihime stuck out her lower lip to show her annoyance. Ichigo thought for a moment. He got Rukia unlike his wish but he still contemplated on whether he should break it to Orihime or keep her wandering. He decided to tell Orihime.

"I got Rukia. Do you have any idea what I should make?" Ichigo asked her.

"I'm glad you told me because I know all about her love for Chappy!" Orihime chirped back. Ichigo tried really hard to not roll his eyes.

"Well everyone, let's all head towards the art room." Nel lead the way.

When everyone reached the art room, they opened the door to reveal a table covered with art supplies. It was a sight to see. There were rows of different splashes of colours—there were assortment of beads, frilly laces, layers of cardboard paper.

"This room looks like it's been hit by an explosion of Skittles." Renji gasped in awe. He looked like a kid walking into a candy store piled with sweet and creamy delights for the first time. If Renji was impressed, to say Uryu was completely stupefied would be an understatement. Uryu looked like he was living his dream. His fashion senses originally stemmed down from his love for the arts. However, due to his father's strong reluctance to admit Uryu's gifted talent, Uryu gave up his artistic hobby.

"This is beautiful." Nemu smiled brightly beside him. When Uryu saw Nemu smiling genuinely, he felt a deep warm fuzzy feeling he never felt before. Uryu smiled back. Suddenly, amidst the darkness, Uryu saw a bright shining star. He knew right away what he was going to make for Nemu.

Things weren't so shining stars for everyone else. They were all lost in a deep thought about what to make.

Rukia was confused. She didn't know much about Orihime. She only began to become good friends with her so this was a bit of a stretch to her. She looked over to where Orihime was. Orihime too, looked like she was deeply in thought. Then she saw how Ichigo was slowly creeping behind Orihime to surprise her with a game of 'Guess who'. She observed the two. Rukia couldn't remember why she wanted to tear them apart so badly now. She looked over to where Renji was sitting. Rukia felt a bit of hollowness in her heart. Then she remembered something important. She remembered how Orihime always kept her blue pins on and they were a gift from her deceased brother. Rukia quickl got to work.

Orihime was thinking really hard. She tried to ignore Ichigo's playfulness with much difficulty. Ichigo imitated the look of a wounded puppy. This made her burst into a giggle. If you asked Orihime to imagine Ichigo looking like a wounded Golden Labrador two weeks ago, she would've imagined it but she would've never dared to dream about seeing it in reality but here she was, staring into Ichigo's big brown doe-eyes. She gave a light peck on Ichigo's nose and ushered him away so she could finally think. Orihime began to think about what she knew about Renji so far. She knew Renji loved sports and he once harboured strong feelings for Rukia. However, apart from that Orihime didn't really ask Renji much about his personal life. Orihime regretted that greatly at the moment. She wished she took more time to know Renji when she had the time. She then realized something. Orihime remembered how Renji was close to Rukia since his childhood. Orihime spotted Rukia working on something quite seriously. When Orihime walked up to her and tapped her on the back, Rukia jolted out of her skin when she turned around to discover Orihime leaning over. Rukia slipped the object in her hand under the desk.

"Hi Orihime."

"Rukia, I got a question."

"Ask away." Rukia laughed nervously. She prayed to the high Gods that Orihime would not ask what she was working on.

"Can you tell me about Renji? He's my Secret Santa and I realized I know so little about him despite how close we became." Orihime asked. Rukia let out a gust of breath that she'd been holding.

"Renji? Well…it's really personal but…that idiot told Nel and Grimmjow about me, didn't he? Let's just call this even." Rukia ignored the blank look Orihime returned. "You remember how at the fashion show, Renji's parents were a no-show and his uncle and cousin turned up instead? Well…he's a poor kid. His mom got pregnant when she was only seventeen. His father left her and she didn't want the baby but she couldn't go for an abortion because she was already four months into the pregnancy so when he was born, she dumped him on her eldest brother. He raised Renji like his own kid. That's why Renji turned out so good-natured. That plus Renji being already a pretty good kid to begin with." Orihime's eyes were a bit watery.

"I never knew." That was when Orihime felt inspired. She quickly went to find a ball of yarn and knitting needles.

Renji was having a tough time as well. He only just befriended Uryu. It was too much for him to know all of Uryu's likes and dislikes. Renji decided he'll have to make the effort now before it was too late. He went over to where Uryu was, who was deeply immersed in a canvas.

"Whatd'ya doing, Uryu?"

"Not much. Painting." Uryu replied. "What about you?"

"Thinking. I don't know what to do." Renji started. "I mean, I have no idea what to get the person I got." Renji hoped Uryu wouldn't ask who was the person he got.

"What do you know about the person so far?" Uryu took a break from his painting and looked at Renji. Renji groaned inwardly. He knew if he told Uryu that the person he got had a thing for fashion, it would be a dead giveaway. Renji quickly racked his brain for another piece of information.

"I think the person likes to create." Renji substituted the act of designing as creating. "The person I got likes to bring two-dimensional ideas to life. Say Uryu, this is just out of curiosity but what would you like?"

"Me? Well…I haven't really given it much thought so I don't really know. I guess a new notebook would be nice."

"Notebook?"

"Yeah, so I can record memories I gained here." Uryu replied. "I gained so many happy memories here, it'd be a shame to let it all go to waste."

"Yeah. I agree. At first, everyone was so different I thought it'd be real crazy but I'm glad I met all of you guys."

This gave Renji a thought.

"Oh, dude…Thanks! You gave me such a great idea!" Renji slapped Uryu on the back and quickly ran off. Uryu shook his head but he smiled.

"Too bad you're as easy to read as reading an open book, Renji." Uryu quietly muttered to himself.

Nemu was slightly disappointed that she didn't get Uryu but nevertheless, she was still very cheerful. She was happy that she got Nel, whom she grown really close to over the past few days. She knew a lot about Nel. How Nel wanted to become an anthropologist (Nel liked Physics but she was more interested in carbon-dating) if it weren't for her commitments to cheerleading. Nemu had a pretty firm idea on what to make for Nel. She was going her a skull-ring.

Nel unlike Nemu was deep in thought. She was really glad she got Grimmjow but now that she finally got the chance to think about what he might like, she was completely stumped. She had a feeling Grimmjow wasn't into pornography as he let on. But at the same time, he was hormone-raging healthy teenage boy. How on earth would he not have dirty thoughts with those chiselled abs and sweet-natured personality….Nel mentally slapped herself. Her own thoughts were turning into dirty ones. Nel tried to think about what she could make. She stared at a book in front of her. It showed a picture of roses. An idea hit her. Nel broke out in a toothy grin.

Grimmjow was pretty stumped as well. He thought about making Ichigo a strawberry cake with Ichigo's and Orihime's name on it but he realized this was a crafts assignment, not a cooking one. Also, he wasn't a great cook. So he tried other possibilities. The more he thought, the more he appreciated the first thought he had. Grimmjow thought about Urahara and the assignments.

"Urahara can go to hell!" Grimmjow muttered under his breath and he headed for the kitchen.

* * *

Ichigo was the first one to finish his assignment. It was all wrapped up and ready. So he decided now was the time to go over to Orihime. Orihime was almost done as well. He watched Orihime work in awe. She looked so tender and happy.

"Are you almost done?"

"Almost."

"Say Orihime, are you going to knit me a sweater too?"

"Do Golden Labrador's need sweaters?" Ichigo grimaced at the reference.

"Orihime, that's not funny anymore. Every time you mention that Lab joke, I remember the time you punched me in the pool for touching your chest." Ichigo smirked reminiscing the memory.

"You know what's funny? It seemed like that was such a long time ago but it only happened about two weeks ago." Orihime replied. She turned around to Ichigo. "It seems like so much happened in so little time. I just can't believe it."

"So can't I but certain things are meant to happen. I'm glad Urahara went crazy and locked us up in here. Otherwise, I never would've broken out of this resident bad boy shell." Ichigo brought Orihime in closer and stared into her deep metallic gaze. When Ichigo leaned in closer, Orihime closed her eyes waiting for his touch but instead she was jolted out of her reverie by a loud voice.

"Oi, you two, get a room." Grimmjow called out. Nel punched him hard for acting so immaturely. Ichigo and Orihime upon realizing that the whole lot was watching them like watching a feature film at the local theatre, blushed heavily. They looked away from each other but kept on to holding each other's hands.

Pretty soon, one by one, everyone began to add their finishing touches and retired to their room. Before whisking off to their dreamlands, Orihime and Nemu left out cookies and milk for Santa. They were all anticipating about tomorrow. They couldn't wait for Christmas. And their last day at school.

End of Day Thirteen

* * *

Can't believe it's almost Christmas soon. Did'ya all get your Christmas shopping done? I haven't started mine yet...shows you how behind I am.

Anyways, heartin' y'all for all the wonderful support I got!  
AZLCIKOI


	15. Day Fourteenth: Christmas on the end

**_My Christmas present to you! I actually finished writing this MUCH earlier but I thought this chapter would be best released on Christmas day. Especially with the content! Sorry to keep you all waiting. Again, I heart all you readers and I want to give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed. That's my Christmas present!_**

**_JammersFlood: I was real busy this week trying to scramble off buying presents for everyone. Whew, I'm glad that huglezugah is over. Anyways, a very Merry Christmas to you too!_**

**_mosspaw: I still leave cookies out for Santa. I don't know why. My brain tells me Santa doesn't exist but my heart tells me he does so I'm in a bit of a confusion but whatever. If the cookies are untouched the next morning, I'll just gobble them up. _**

**_Cehmacc14: Haha, I was like that too at first but it was a nightmare at the mall. I don't really like overcrowded places but my oh my,the mall was packed with people! It was quite crazy trying to buy things. _**

**_nypsy: Ooo. Hope you done your shopping by now..._**

**_T-Biggz: Lol, now that would be the best present ever for naughty Grimmy. Too bad Nel's too scared to use her dirty mind._**

**_.Grimmjow: I'm sorry...I didn't mean to have you waiting but I really wanted to update this chapter specifically on Christmas. I thought it was a nice touch...Anyways, I'm really happy you like my story!_**

**_Selena: Nope, Renji and Rukia will not be together in this story. I'm starting an outline of a new story and that one would definitely have Renruki._**

**_Somerlia: Urahara gets those envelopes in their desks when they're sleeping. Creepy, I know...but that's the kind of Urahara I like! _**

**_Zero Kurosaki: I'm kind of confused. Do you want me to write a Ichihime songfic? I'm a horrible songfic writer...but I'll try to get the epilogue up by tomorrow. Also I'll start two more stories so I hope that's all right! If you're the one writing the songfic as a present for me, all I can say is I'm very honored!_**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: Epilogue for sure, sequel not too sure and new story definite! I don't really want to write a sequel for this because I got no idea what to do! So I think I'm better off with another story that I'm prepared for_**

**_Psychosocial: Now only the epilogue is left! I can't believe it's Christmas today! The year whizzed by real fast, didn't it?_**

**_yoyogigi125: Well, this will be the last official chapter! The epilogue will be posted tomorrow._**

**_DragunityGemini: Thanks! Well,, I'm glad you like the pairings I chose._**

**_EternalRoses: Well the end of one, means a beginning for another one. It might be the end of this story but that means there will be a new story! I really wanted to finish this one before I started another one._**

**_WinteRen Hime: Hehe, sorry... I told you I was an amateur at this. But that doesn't mean, I'm not a die-hard fan of Ichihime. I love Ichihime to pieces so yeah...As for Renji and Rukia, they will happen in another story. I decided a while ago to not pair them up together and to leave their relationship open-ended._**

**_RabbitBleachFan: I know. Fanfiction should be also called Funfiction. I mean, good writing is well appreciated but that doesn't mean people who like writing can't have a bit of fun._**

**_The Dessa: In Canada, we don't really have much high school stereotypes either but I been to school in the USA before. It's not as bad as movies suggest but there's a definite show of different cliques. I mean, I kind of exaggerated the stereotypes in this story but I did that to show the differences and how even with these differences how everyone can get together. _**

**_anubislover: Hehee...I'll use the Grimmjow thing in a future story. I'll just have to do it slyly so that fangirls won't know what hit them on their nozzles before I make my escape. I know I had a long hiatus but that was intentional. I wanted to update this chapter today because I thought it would be a nice touch for the ending._**

**_MeggzieofHyrule: I want to try an angsty Ichihime story. So far, all my stories were lighthearted rom-coms but I think it's time for something new._**

**_Konkonforever: Sorry to keep you waiting...I just really wanted to update this chapter today since the content matched today's date really well1_**

Day fourteen: Christmas on the fourteenth

The day had finally come. It was the final day of entrapment in the gang's hell hole. When Orihime woke up, she found small leftover crumbs on the cookie plate and the milk glass completely cleared up. She smiled and she nuzzled back into the comfort of her bed. She didn't feel like waking up. She didn't want the day to end because then, she'll have to go back home. She liked it here. Especially now that she was friends with everyone.

"Hey cookies are gone." Nemu's voice rang out. "Hell, we even got a Christmas tree set up with all our presents under it." No matter how old everyone was, they all felt giddy like they went back into the time when they were still in preschool. They all rushed towards their present. Things were very fast and fun. They were all reached out for a wrapped package and put it back down when they discovered it wasn't theirs. Nemu was the first one to find hers. It was the biggest one, so it was hard to miss. She opened it to reveal a beautiful painting of herself. She was in awe with the artistic ability of the anonymous gift-giver. Well, actually the gift giver wasn't too anonymous to her. She almost felt his touch on the painting. She could tell who gave her this wonderful piece of art just by looking at the brush strokes. It was because she saw the same kind of pencil strokes during the preparation for the fashion show. Nemu's gaze travelled to where Uryu was. He was holding holding something that looked like a book. Nemu went over to where Uryu was.

"Uryu, thanks. I really appreciate this. You made me look more beautiful in the painting than reality."

"Nemu, the painting turned out beautiful because you are beautiful." Uryu blushed when he caught on to what just flowed out of his innocent mouth. His blush deepened, when Nemu out of boldness, kissed him on the cheek. "B...but h...how did y...ou know i...it wa...was me?" Uryu stammered out, secretely pleased.

"Trust me, I pay attention when it concerns you." Nemu stated boldly. Uryu smiled and took Nemu's hand in his.

"Nemu, will you go out with me?"

"I never..." Nemu stopped dramatically. Uryu's mind blankened. He thought she was going to reject him because he was going to fast for her. His embarrassment turned into delight when Nemu finished the rest of her sentence. "thought you'd ask. I've been waiting forever for this moment." Nemu hugged Uryu. "However, my answer will be yes on one condition."

"Which is?" Uryu cautiously asked.

"What is your secret? I think yours is the only one nobody knows about."

"Well..." Uryu grinned sheepishly. "I cheated on a Math test once when I was in grade eight." Nemu's facial expression was priceless. It looked as though someone was holding her mouth open.

"That's your...secret? Gosh Uryu, everyone cheats on a math test!" Uryu just returned Nemu a sheepish grin and didn't say anything. Uryu when he remembered the homemade scrapbook in his hand, turned to Renji.

"Thanks Renji. I didn't know you were artistic."

"Hey man, how'd you know it was me?" Renji never thought Uryu would know because of how carefully he hid his identity.

"Renji, even I can tell this is you. Look at all the soccer balls you drew in the corners!" Nemu giggled. Renji and Uryu let out a hearty laugh.

"So what did you get?" Uryu asked Renji.

"I'm wearing it." Renji proudly pointed to the ruby-coloured knitted sweater he was wearing. It had a picture of a pineapple woven into it. "But I'm still trying to find the person who made me this. Any ideas?" Uryu and Nemu shook their heads.

"That sweater suits you, Renji." Rukia smiled when she walked by him. She was in the best mood she'd been in years. She too, was trying to find the identity of her gift-giver. She squeezed the Chappy bunny stuffed animal for luck. However, she refrained herself from squeezing it too hard, in case the clumsy stitching gives out. She went over to where Orihime was standing. Rukia saw Orihime clipping the hairpins Rukia made on her hair. Rukia smiled and tapped Orihime's arm.

"Orihime, don't tell me you got me this." Rukia asked Orihime but the latter shook her head. "Well, do you know who got me this?" Orihime took a finger and placed it on her chin.

"I shouldn't tell you." Orihime scrunched her nose to show her little dilemma. Rukia pouted to convince Orihime to spill the secret. "No Rukia, otherwise it wouldn't be a secret anymore and besides, I don't think Ichigo would appreciate it very much if somebody else told you who made this." Rukia raised a brow.

"Ichigo made this?" Rukia broke into a fit of laughter.

"Well ye..." Orihime's eyes widened and she covered her mouth by impulse. "I shouldn't have told you that." Orihime couldn't believe she told Rukia who her Secret Santa was.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you told me who gave me my present."

When Ichigo lifted his present, Grimmjow burst out.

"You might wanna be careful with that. It'll explode." Grimmjow's eyes widen, when realizing that he gave away his secret santa. He tried to recover. "It smells fishy..."

"You're right, it does smell like fish. Grimmjow, tell me what you put in here before I trash this." Ichigo grinned knowing that Grimmjow was going to take the bait.

"No...I don't mean fishy as in fish. I meant fishy as in a bomb."

"A fishbomb? You mean like a stinkbomb?"

"Yeah, alot of people hate you, ya know."

"Grimmjow, I already know you made this, so just tell me what it is."

"Why don't you find out yourself?"

When Ichigo peered inside, he saw white and pink all over the inside of the box. It almost looked like a cake.

"Man, did you make this?" Ichigo held back a laugh when he suddenly had a vision of Grimmjow wearing a pink apron with lacy frills over it.

"Yeah dude, but you fucking ruined it by shaking it around." Grimmjow grimaced when he saw all his hardwork gone up in smokes.

"Well, thanks. I just hope it tastes better than it looks." Ichigo dipped a finger and tasted the white frosting covering the cake. "Yeah, it tastes like..." Grimmjow stared at Ichigo, waiting for an answer. "...fish." Grimmjow rolled his eyes. Orihime who just uncovered her present, saw the cake in Ichigo's hand at this moment and came by.

"Guess what I got?" Orihime smiled at Grimmjow. Grimmjow shrugged in response. Orihime pointed to her head. On her bright amber locks shone a deep cobalt blue hairpin that was shaped like a rose. It was clipped above her own set of hairpins. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Real pretty." Ichigo replied. He placed a little kiss on her forehead.

Grimmjow shook his head at the sight ahead of him. He decided this was the time to take his leave. He took out his own package and gave it shake to see if he could guess the content before opening it. He heard something light. When Grimmjow opened the blue ribbon, a bouquet of roses stared back at him. At first, he was a bit shocked about his present. He expected something more...boyish but he then realized each rose was hand made. He was pleased with what he got. He decided to show his new present to Nel who was in the corner opening her own present.

"Hey Nel, look at what my Secret Santa got me. I think it's a girl who got me this." Nel rolled her eyes at Grimmjow's ignorance.

"Yeah so any idea who this Secret Mrs. Claus is?" Nel said nonchalantly. Grimmjow pulled her into a light kiss.

"Honestly who would be crazy enough to give a guy a bouquet of roses other than you?" Grimmjow grinned. Nel however, didn't return it.

"Uh...Grimmy, it wasn't me." Nel fibbed to see Grimmjow's reaction.

"What? Then who? What?" Grimmjow looked really confused. Nel tickled under his chin.

"Silly, of course it's me who gave you this." Nel laughed.

"So what did you get?" At Grimmjow's question, Nel waved her hand. A flash of silver caught Grimmjow's eyes. He pulled her hand closer to his face so he could observe the object. It was a ring in the form of a skull.

"Woah" Grimmjow slightly grunted feeling slightly jealous. Nel laughed. She took the ring off then took Grimmjow's hand and slid the ring on his fourth finger.

"Grimmjow, will you marry me." Nel said with a smile, jokingly. However, Grimmjow's answer took the smile off her face.

"Yeah, but I hope it wasn't a guy who gave you this because I'll have to get through him first." Grimmjow answered seriously. Nel laughed nervously.

"Um...you really want to marry me?"

"Why not?"

"I..." Nel was truly shocked to the roots of her head. "Oh what the heck, why not?" She pulled Grimmjow into a deep kiss. "If it really was a guy who gave me this ring, for all I care, he can go to hell!"

After awhile when everybody finished opening their presents they all got together to reveal who their Secret Santa was. Renji went first.

"So, who gave me this sweater?" He asked. Orihime shyly raised her hand. She gave him a bright smile.

"Do you like it?" Orihime shyly asked. At Orihime's question, Renji pulled her into a bear hug to show Orihime how much he liked her present. Without a mother figure, Renji never received a present like this before and to him, Orihime held a special place in his heart.

"Renji, can I get my girlfriend back now? You've been hugging her for about ten minutes now." Ichigo grunted. Renji released Orihime and smiled at Ichigo sheepishly.

"Sorry mate."

"I wanna go next." Orihime said. "Who gave me these hairpins?" Orihime pointed to the rose pin clipped next to her own.

"Me." Rukia replied. "I thought since you wore the ones your brother gave you, I thought I wanted to give you something that would mean alot to you." Orihime like Renji, pulled Rukia into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Rukia." Orihime smiled.

"Hey Ichigo, why aren't you kicking Rukia's ass for hugging your girlfriend for too long." Renji teased Ichigo.

"Shut it, Renji." Ichigo replied.

"Why don't we go in this order?" Rukia interrupted the two gentlemen. "I already know who got me my Chappy bunny. Thanks Ichigo. I didn't know you were into making dolls."

"Well, I do have two sisters for your information." Ichigo replied. "Well, you're welcome. I guess it's my turn now? Well, thanks Grim, for the fish cake." Ichigo let out a laugh. "I really didn't expect a cake from you."

"Well I heard that the ladies love a guy who can cook." Grimmjow winked at Nel. Nel giggled. "Right Orihime?" He said to piss Ichigo off.

"Yeah." Orihime played along.

"Hey, I'm not a bad cook." Ichigo tried to defend himself.

"Nobody cares, Kurosaki. Anyways, I wanna thank Nel for her Secret Santa and wedding present." At Grimmjow's remark, everybody let out a shocked gasp.

"Wedding?" Nemu asked cautiously.

"Well, Nel did propose to me."

"Grimmjow Jeagerjacques, I suggest you to shut your mouth right now or else..." Nel shoot daggers at Grimmjow with her eyes. "Let's ignore this naughty kitten and focus on who gave me my present. I hope it was a guy so he can kick this kitty's ass." Nel glared at Grimmjow.

"Sorry Nel, but I think I'm a girl." Nemu said.

"You think?" Grimmjow joked. "What are you half a guy or something?"

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Uryu said with a ticked off voice. "Actually, Nel would you do the honor?"

"Nope. He's old enough to potty train himself." Everyone except Grimmjow laughed at Nel's remark.

"So moving on, Nemu you already know who got you your present?" Nel asked Nemu. Nemu nodded. Nemu gently grabbed Uryu's arm.

"Uryu and I are officially going out." Nemu smiled brightly. Uryu mirrored her look.

"Took you long enough to realize you two were made for each other." Rukia said.

"What do you mean?" Uryu replied.

"What I mean to say is, everyone knew the two of you were in love with each other." Rukia answered back.

"Well, that leaves Uryu." Ichigo interrupted.

"Thanks Renji for the scrapbook." Uryu held Renji's shoulder.

"Just one thing, Uryu. How'd you know it was me?"

"For future reference, Renji, next time, don't be so obvious." Uryu slid his glasses up his nose. Before anyone could comment on anything, the announcement came on.

"So...everyone, today's the fourteenth day. I want to thank all of you for your participation and I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Now, off you go!" Urahara said, finishing off with a merry 'ho ho ho'.

Soon everyone was off packing their belongings and heading off to the front gate. They all looked back at the school. They were all thinking the same thing. How they were glad it was them who were chosen to be locked inside the school because they all gained special friends, memories and best of all, a special person who they might even share their whole life with. They even remembered how when they first learned that they were going to be stuck in the school for fourteen days, how relunctant they all were. Now that the fourteen days were up, they wanted to start it all over again.

They all walked off to their homes smiling. They were glad that they didn't escape their school in fourteen days.

The end

* * *

Epilogue is coming soon. I'll put it up by tomorrow. Anyways, thanks everyone for supporting HTEYSIFD! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

AZLCIKOI


	16. Epilogue

**_The epilogue...I want to thank everyone for supporting HTEYSIFD to the end! This one's dedicated to all my reviewers! A very Merry Christmas to you all and I'll see you soon with a new story!_**

**_Dragunity Gemini: Well, I hope this one's a tad bit better._**

**_Cehmacc14: Sorry...no sequel but instead I got an epilogue up. I want to start a new project now and finish this one._**

**_nypsy: Grimmnel and Ichihime are happily married but Rukia and Renji are going their separate ways. I'll have them together in a future story but I prefer this open-endedness for this story. Rukia's main point wasn't a romantic one in this fic. I wanted her character to be a dynamic character where she undergoes an epiphany._**

**_Jasy: Aw thanks! I'm glad it brought laughter to you. I'm gonna head for some angst now that I got a comedy up. I'm planning to update two new stories._**

**_eltoro: My favourite pairing of all time? That's a hard one. I can't decide between Ichihime and Asuraku. I'll have to say both. That's why my pen name's AZLCIKOI... As for Ran and Gin, I had them as Orihime's adoptive parents because I felt like in the anime, Ran showed a sisterly care for Orihime and I added Gin in because I love Rangiku with Gin...so yeah._**

**_Zero Kurosaki: If this became a movie, I doubt it'll be successful. A movie wouldn't be able to convey all the emotions of the characters thoroughly especially in a story where all eight characters are, at some point, a main character. But who cares? As long as we like it, right?_**

**_yoyogigi125: No need to thank me. It was a blast for me, writing this story so I'm glad there were many readers who shared those feelings with me!_**

**_EternalRoses: I hope you didn't hurt yourself. When I fell off my bed once, I had to get a cast because I landed on my arm. It wasn't fun...Anyways, hope to ssee you in a future story!_**

**_anubislover: Well, here's another Christmas present to y'all! Hope you enjoy it._**

**_eltoro: I like Chad but I didn't want to complicate this story by adding more characters. Beside this story was designed to have four girls and guys...As for the pairing things, you're right. A story can be great even without any romantic plotlines but this story is specifically a rom-com and how can a romantic comedy be a romantic comedy without romance? Hence, the unspoken but mandatory rule of needing pairings. I guess everyone can get along even with different preferences as long as people remind themselves these characters are fictional characters and not worth the time of starting a feud over. I mean, I love Ichihime to pieces but if someone tells me they prefer IchiRuki or Ulquihime, I'm not gonna tell them they're wrong and Ichihime rulz all. That's their opinions and I respect that._**

**_XBluexFlamingoX: Heehee, I think so too. Thanks!_**

Epilogue

It has been ten years since the day eight different people were locked inside their school. They all led very different lives now but in the end they all became very close to each other. Ever since those two weeks, they were all inseperable. Principal Urahara's plan was a success and Inspector Yoruichi was pleased with the results. The school's segregation wasn't so apparent anymore. With eight very diffent people's participation, one by one, people from different cliques were warming up to others.

However, after graduation they all followed a different path.

Orihime decided to study music and went to New York. She auditioned to get into Julliards School of Music in Manhattan and she made it. Ichigo who decided to become a doctor, much to everyone's surprise (many didn't expect a bad boy to take a career path like that), couldn't bear the idea of staying away from Orihime. He decided to study in New York as well. The two got an apartment together and went away. They sent postcards, emails and letters to their friends every month. As soon as Orihime and Ichigo finished their Bachelor's degree, they got married. Now Ichigo and Orihime have three children. A pair of identical twin boys and a younger daughter.

Nemu, with Uryu's encouragement, wanted to become a singer. She started to get singing lesssons and one day, when she sang at a charity show, a music producer heard her and Nemu instantly became a singing sensation. She was a superstar in the entertainment industry. Uryu even with his father's disagreement, became a fashion designer. He was also a star in the entertainment biz and his designs were a favourite of Nemu's. The two, because of their jobs, decided to have a very quiet marriage but everyone from the fourteen day lot came.

Nel became an astronaut. It didn't come as a surprise to anyone from the fourteen day lot, because they all knew Nel's passion for physics but everyone else, including her family, were taken aback by her knowledge in astrophysics. She and Grimmjow married as soon as they got out of high school and were together ever since. Grimmjow also shocked alot of people with his choice in his career path. He decided to become a baker. When he baked the cake for Ichigo, Grimmjow took a keen interest in the art of baking and went for baking lessons. Now he was a world famous patisseur and he always bakes a cake to celebrate Christmas.

Renji became a football player. However, he got a fatal injury that disabled him from playing the sport anymore. Now he became a Sport's commentator. He still loved the sport and taught the children in the mini leagues. He always buys ice cream for them after a game.

Rukia became a politician. Her relationship with her brother was starting to see the sunrise. After her epiphany from the two weeks she spent at school, she shared a word with her brother. Now they saw each other more often. Also, Rukia's strong drive made her the next prospective President. She still has feelings for Renji but never acted upon them.

Now they were back for a high school reunion.

"Orihime, you look great. How are the twins doing?" Nemu asked after giving her friend a long hug.

"Oh dear, they're just like their father. I'm worried for the babysitter." Orihime suddenly whispered into Nemu's ears. "Boys will always be boys." The two giggled.

"Orihime, Nemu, I haven't seen you guys for a week! Where were you?" Rukia came to the girls and also gave them a big hug.

"Watching you on TV." Nemu replied.

"Could say the same for you." Nel joined in. Nel also gave the girls a warm hug.

"Gosh, it's been forever since we all got together like this!" Nemu said.

"What are you talking about? It's only been a week since we didn't get together." Rukia shook her head.

"So I hear you're engaged, Rukia. Please don't tell me it's an arranged marriage." Nel said.

"Nope. My brother did try, mind you, but I told him, the day he'll see me in an arranged marriage is the day he'll admit to me that he's gay."

"And what did your brother say?" Nemu asked with her eyes shaped like Oreos.

"He said at least he has a guy to marry." The girls heartily laughed.

"Speaking of your brother, Uryu told me to ask you to ask your brother, if he'd be interested in modelling some of Uryu's clothes in an ad spread." Nemu said to Rukia.

"Ask who to ask who what?" Rukia replied. "Well, I'll ask Byakuya but I don't think his boyfriend would like that very much." The sound of laughter hung in mid-air.

"Rukia, is Byakuya really gay?" Orihime asked. "I thought you were joking."

"Don't worry girls, I was joking, honestly."

"You know, who's gay?" Nel said suddenly.

"Who?" Nemu asked her.

"Renji." Nel replied. "He's still single!"

"Renji's not gay. He's just..." Rukia tried defending Renji's honor.

"I know..." Nel answered. "Rukia, don't tell me you still have feelings for Renji."

"I..." Rukia tried to change the subject. "So Nemu, do you have a new album coming out?"

"Yeah, my next album's coming out real soon. Speaking of which, for the next one, Orihime do you think you can compose my songs?"

"Of course!" Orihime beamed.

* * *

The guys were just as pleased to see each other. Renji and Uryu high fived each other while Grimmjow and Ichigo gave each other a handshake.

"Ichigo, ten years ago, if someone told me you were a family man, I'd tell them to go book a room at the mental hospital, but wow...I heard from Orihime, you always cook dinner." Grimmjow grinned.

"Well someone told me once upon a time that the ladies go for the guy who can cook. I decided to take that piece of advice."

"I'm sure Orihime is more than pleased." Uryu also grinned.

"So how're my twins doing in football, Renji?" Ichigo asked.

"They're good. Really good, in fact. The only thing is I still have a hard time calling them with the right names. I mean why would you name one Orichi and the other Ichiori? Gosh, this other day, I called Orichi, Hime...Now Ichiori won't give him a rest without recalling that piece of information."

"I'll have a word with Ichiori about it."

"So how're your kids?" Uryu directed his question at Grimmjow.

"I'm just glad they got their mother's brain." They all laughed. "What about you, Uryu?"

"I'm trying to get Rukia's brother into modelling my next fall ready-to-wear collection. I mean, he's a real exquisite find." The other three returned a confused look.

"Uh, Uryu...I meant do you have any plans on having any children? Because you're not getting any younger." Grimmjow asked.

"Well, we're working on it but we're just so busy with our schedules. Anyways, let's go over to the ladies. They look like they're having way too much fun without us." The guys walked over to where their wives were standing. Renji followed them. He smiled at Orihime, Nel and Nemu. However, his smile was a bit rigid when his gaze fell on Rukia. Things were a bit awkward for them.

"Hello Renji." Rukia returned the awkward smile. Her feelings for him were still strong but she didn't want to show it. The others around them decided to give the two some room.

"Hello Rukia. It's been awhile."

"Yeah I know."

"So how's Sato doing?"

"He's fine. He's going a bit overboard with the marriage."

"Well he's a good guy." Renji replied.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that...he's not the right guy." Rukia decided this was the moment to unmask some of her feelings.

"What do you mean?" Renji said carefully.

"I really...I really like you Renji." Rukia answered.

"I like you too, Rukia. We're friends, right? We can't be friends if we don't like each other."

"Friends...yeah." Rukia finally gave up. She gave Renji a great smile. "Let's go join the others." Renji and Rukia walked over to where the other six were. Uryu handed the two a glass of champagne.

"Rukia, do you want to do the honor?" Grimmjow asked. "Since you're the politician and the one most experienced with talking bullshit?" Rukia knew Grimmjow was joking so she gave him playful punch.

"Watch it kitty. Well, why not?" Rukia held up her cup. "It's been ten years since that fateful day we ended up trapped inside our high school, thanks to that pervy principal we had. But because of that pervy principal, we opened our hearts to each other and we formed this unbreakable friendship. To Principal Urahara, for bringing us together!"

"To Principal Urahara." Everyone cheered before gulping down some champagne.

Fin

However, somewhere in Karakura High School, another batch of eight kids were trapped inside their school for fourteen days. Principal Urahara, who was now ten years older, mischieveously smiled. His voice rang out through the school's PA system.

"Children, this is the new beginning of how to escape your school in fourteen days."

The real end!

* * *

I'll see y'all in my upcoming story!

Heart y'all,  
AZLCIKOI


End file.
